A Love Like War
by K.J. Callahan
Summary: Demons have a penchant for causing trouble just because they can, and messing with other supernatural beings is just part of the ride. Taking over memories and ruining friendships only makes them happy, and they've got nothing to lose. Can they be stopped, or will the damage be irreversible? BeckettxOC/SebxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Traded and Beguiled Love, Lost, Repossessed Soul**

What happens when you die? Are you simply entombed into the earth and then forgotten about? For most people, they are confined in a box and left to rot. Unfortunately, Amelia Clearwater wasn't so lucky. She had been killed by Pierre who was being controlled by necromancers. Afterward, she was buried and life went on, or so she thought. 

Little did she know, the universe had other plans.

The time was growing nigh. Illshya knew that her current host was dying of mortal wounds and it wouldn't be long before she was expelled from the current host. She needed to find another host and she needed to do it fast. She was in the city of Chicago and had taken the form of a young man who had gotten himself mixed up in the wrong crowd. Allowing herself to fully possess her host's body, she was able to make it to one of the local cemeteries. She sought a fresh body, one that hadn't been recently entombed. Eventually she found one, the body of a young woman. Knowing that her options were limited and time was running out, she allowed herself to slip out of the young man's body and possess the body of the corpse under the ground. Almost at once, she was flooded with memories. This death was very recent. Had she had a corporeal form, Illshya would have smiled to herself. This was going to be fun.

The young girl had been a nurse at a local hospital and she was friends with a lot of powerful people.

The moment that her soul entered the dead girl's body, the girl's subconscious came back and immediately tried to fight her off. It was easy enough for Illshya to bypass this and soon, she began to possess the body of this girl. She saw that her name was Amelia and she had been a Waterbender in her life, cut down when she was attacked by a vampire, one of her friends. As she sifted and sorted through the memories, Illshya gradually began to replace them with her own memories. Soon, this girl was completely under her control. Most of the traces of the person she had once been were no longer there.

She forced the girl's eyes open and forced her lungs to take in their first breath. After, she lent the girl her power and forced her to dig her way out of the grave. After putting the body of her former host back in the grave and filling in the hole, Illshya fled, returning to the underworld, the place where she reigned. She stayed there for almost four years, helping the girl's body become accustomed to the change. Once satisfied with how things had progressed, she again returned to the surface world, intent on screwing with all of this girl's former companions. Even a demon that was as old as time deserved to have a little fun now and then.

After sifting through the girl's memories, she saw that she was particularly close with a group of men from Canada, who happened to be in a popular band that she had liked. This is how she chose to go to Montreal, Canada. It was a mild day, nice enough to be going without a jacket. She picked one of the many open air markets and decided to browse. As her luck would have it, she managed to spot one of the men that this girl had been friends with. Her memories told her that his name was Sebastien and that he was a Lycan. She followed him from a distance as he walked through the market. Every so often, he would turn around, as if he knew he was being followed. He was with another man, who had also been a friend of this girl. This man was a Waterbender, and quite a powerful. Illshya smiled to herself. This was going to be fun.

Seeing as they had nothing to do, Sebastien and Chuck had decided to go to one of the many open air markets in Montreal. It was a nice enough day and they didn't have anything better to do until they met up with Pierre, David, and Jeff later that night. They found a lot of cool things at the outdoor market. As they walked though, Seb got the feeling that he was being followed. He turned around several times, but there was nothing there.

"You okay, man?" Chuck asked as he looked at a collection of Waterbending scrolls 

"Yeah, fine. Something doesn't feel right, though. It feels like someone is following us, but every time I turn around, there's nothing there." 

"Hm, that's weird," Chuck shrugged. 

As they continued through the market, Sebastien kept his senses on high alert. Finally, they reached the end of the market and as they turned around so that they could walk back to Chuck's car, that's when he saw her. Standing about 20 feet off was a girl with dark brown hair and green eyes. There was no mistaking that face or that scent. Sebastien grabbed Chuck's arm and pointed. Chuck's eyes widened. When the two stepped forward, the girl spun on her heels and took off running. The two followed after her as she weaved in and out of the crowd. 

"Wait!" Sebastien had yelled as he ran after the girl 

She was fast, he had to admit that. He was just barely able to keep up with her, and he was a Lycan! Eventually, they made it back to the parking lot. Sebastien glanced backwards and Chuck was nowhere to be seen. The girl only had a couple more feet to go before she would reach the street and Sebastien wasn't about to chase her down a busy Montreal street. Just as she was about to cross the street, her foot was encased in ice and she was sent tumbling to the ground. Chuck walked out from behind a parked car. The scent of blood hit Sebastien's nose and it was strangely not human. Nonetheless, they approached the girl, who immediately threw her arms up in self defense.

"Please, what do you want from me?! Take my money, anything. Just please, don't hurt me!" she begged 

"Amelia?" Seb asked as he knelt down 

A look of confusion registered in her eyes. 

"Who? What are you talking about?" 

"Amelia, it's me, Sebastien. And Chuck too. Oh my god, I thought you were dead!" he said as he embraced the girl. 

The girl immediately tried to shove him away. 

"What are you talking about? Who are you? My name isn't Amelia. My name is Jessica," the girl said, confused. 

"What? No, you're Amelia! Remember? You're a nurse from Chicago? You helped us save the world with your friend AJ? Remember?" 

"I have no idea what you're talking about. My name is Jessica. I've lived in Montreal my entire life. I'm a graphic artist and I don't have any friends named AJ. Please, just let me go! I think you've mistaken me for someone else," the girl said. 

Sebastien noticed that the girl's heart rate did not increase when she spoke, so she wasn't lying. Begrudgingly, Chuck melted the ice and helped the girl up.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble, miss. You just looked like someone we knew," Chuck said, extending his hand. 

The girl didn't say anything. Instead she turned around and walked away. Chuck and Sebastien easily found Chuck's car. The ride back to Chuck's house was completely silent. After that, they both went over to Pierre's for a small get together. The first words out of Seb's mouth when he walked in was, "Pierre, where do you keep your alcohol? I need a drink, or twenty."

"Jeeze, what happened?" Pierre asked

"Oh, nothing much. We went to the Old Montreal Open Air Market and Sebastien chased down some poor random girl, probably scared her half to death," Chuck remarked as he took a seat next to David on the couch. 

"Jeeze Seb, I know it's been a while since you got some, but man, chasing girls down at the market. For shame!" David said with a wink 

Seb glared at him and Chuck punched David in the arm. Seb poured himself a drink and sat down in one of the chairs. 

"No no, you don't understand. She looked so damn familiar." 

"Who did she look like?" Jeff asked

"She looked like Amelia," Seb said quietly. 

At once, a look of horror and guilt washed over Pierre's face.

"What? No, that's impossible. That can't happen. She's dead. I…" he trailed off. 

"I know, but she looked just like her, man! Same hair, same eyes. Hell, she even smelled the same! The weird thing, though, was that she didn't recognize me at all! She claimed that her name was Jessica and that she lived here in Montreal her life! I just don't get it," Seb said, feeling too many emotions.

"Have you ever considered that maybe that wasn't Amelia? Maybe we just happened to find a girl who looked exactly like her and maybe you thought for just a minute that it was her when it wasn't. Come on, Seb, I know you miss her. We all do. But you need to just let it go. She's dead. She died right in front of us. You can't come back from that," Chuck said solemnly. 

Seb knew that Chuck was right, but he couldn't help but wonder. He refused to let this go, so once he left Pierre's, he decided to give Bob a call. He picked up after a few rings. 

"Hello?" 

"Hey Bob, it's Sebastien." 

"Hey Seb, how's it going?" 

"Well, it could be going a little better. I saw something today that I can't explain." 

"Please, you're a werewolf. What could you possibly see that you couldn't explain?" 

Seb took a deep breath. "I think I saw Amelia today." 

Bob scoffed from the other end. "Seb, she died almost four years ago. There's no way you could have seen her!" 

"That's what I thought too, but this girl had the same hair, the same eyes, hell, she even had the same scent! How could it not be her?"

"I don't know! But we saw her die. We buried her, Seb! I don't know what you saw, but I don't think it was her. What did she say when you tried to approach her?" 

"She claimed her name was Jessica and that she had no idea who I was." 

"See? It probably wasn't her. You're probably still grieving over Amelia that when someone who was very very similar to her appeared, your mind got confused. Don't take it too personally. It happens to the best of us. Same thing happened to me after my wife died." 

Seb still wasn't convinced, but he thanked Bob and hung up. As he laid down to try and sleep, he couldn't help but wonder. If that wasn't Amelia that he saw, who was it? 


	2. Chapter 2

After walking away from the Lycan and his Waterbending friend, Illshya smiled to herself. They had really believed that it was Amelia. Of course, it still was, but she had no recollection of her human life. Deciding that she had caused enough trouble in this city, she used her powers to transport herself to back to Chicago. Now would be a good time to mess with the girl that she had seen Amelia's memories. Besides, once she entered the city, she picked up a familiar energy. Her brother was in this city. It had been a while since she had seen her dear brother.

She followed the source of the energy until she came upon a large mansion. Easily scaling the fence that surrounded the property, she walked up to the door and knocked. She put on her best smile and began to act as Amelia. AJ opened up the door, saw who was behind it, and promptly screamed and slammed the door in her face.

Slowly the door opened again, and AJ peered out from behind it.

"R-Rae? Is that y-you?" she asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

Amelia smiled. "Yeah, AJ, it's me."

All of the sudden, AJ engulfed her in a bone crushing hug. "Oh my god, I thought you were dead! What? How? I don't even…" 

"Well, invite me in and I'll tell you." 

AJ invited her in and just when she stepped inside, William came walking down the stairs. He immediately gave her a look and came down next to Adeline. 

"I didn't know we were having company," he said, eyeing Amelia cautiously. 

"Neither did I! She just showed up. Isn't this great? Amelia isn't dead!" 

"That's wonderful, dear. Listen, why don't you go make some tea for us, okay?" 

"Okay!" And Adeline bounded off to the kitchen to make tea. 

The moment that she left, William turned to Amelia and grabbed her arm and pulled her close. 

"What are you doing here?" he asked as the demon took control over 

"Relax, dear brother. I thought that you would be pleased to see me. It's been some time. The last time I saw you, you were an old Army veteran and I was a young scientist living in Germany. My, how the times have changed," Illshya said with a smirk. 

William smiled, Orion having taken full control. "Well, I do quite miss you sometimes, dear sister. I'm glad that you managed to find me. It seems that we are now connected. These two hosts have had quite the history. I look forward to running these bodies into the ground." 

"I agree, dear brother." 

Before she could say anything more, AJ walked back in the room carrying a tray with tea and cookies on it. The three of them walked into the living room. AJ walked ahead of them. Amelia winked at William as the three of them sat down.

"So, how did you even manage to survive that?" AJ wanted to know once everyone had gotten their drinks and cookies 

Amelia smiled. "Would you believe me if I said it was magic?"

AJ facepalmed.

"No, really! There's this effect called Control 2.0 that let me slow down my pulse and I just slowed it down enough so that you all thought that I was dead." 

"Okay, Sherlock, so if that's the case, what about Pierre?" 

"Sorry, a magician never reveals _all_ of her secrets," Amelia said with a wink. 

In the next hour, they all discussed everything that had happened to them in the four years since Amelia had been gone. Once they were done, Amelia excused herself. 

"Hey listen, it's been great, but I gotta get going. I'm going back to work tomorrow." 

"It's been awesome! We need to totally go out for lunch sometime or something!" AJ said as she embraced Amelia 

"I agree!" 

"I'll walk you to the door," William announced, standing up.

The two of them walked to the door as AJ went to clean up the tea and cookies.

"Well, I'll be seeing you around, brother," Amelia said as she shook William's hand. 

"See you around, sister." 

Amelia walked back down the driveway. Once she had gotten far enough away from the mansion, she used her magic to transport herself back down to the underworld. Things were going to get interesting.

Later that night as AJ and William snuggled by the fire, she couldn't help but wonder if that had really been Amelia. It seemed so much like her old friend, but she was still suspicious. 

"Hey William?" she asked softly, lifting her head from his shoulder, staring at the flames, realizing the flickering orange and yellow only made her think of the old bonfires at the harvest festivals, like the one where there'd been the corn maze, and then - _no. _That was long ago, how was it she could still remember it with perfect clarity? 

"Hm?" 

"Listen...earlier, with Amelia. I don't...I don't think that was her." she admitted, half expecting him to laugh. 

"What would make you think that, dear?" 

"I don't know...she just...it's not possible how she could have survived the wound Pierre gave her, he all but flipped her abdomen inside out...I don't understand how she was able to show up, that's all." 

He smiled, pulling the blanket covering them a little tighter around them, as she'd started shivering, which more often than not was a mortal habit coming back when she over thought something.

"I wouldn't question it. Just over a decade ago, you didn't think vampires existed either, and look at you now." 

She turned to look at him, vexed. 

"So you're content with letting me have the worst headache I've ever had because I'm trying to figure something out? It'd be nice if I could just atleast think of a reason as to why she's still alive." 

"Sheer dumb luck?" he offered, causing her to smile, although she did a double take. 

"Tell me you didn't really just make a Harry Potter reference just then. I mean, come on - sure, vampires have immortality, and lycans and oni age at a slower rate than humans, but I just. She. Was. Human. Unless there's some sort of voodoo black magic involved, I still don't think that was her."

He shrugged, before he leaned in to kiss her, "You like to talk in circles, don't you, doll?"

When he pulled away she only sighed, "Yeah, I guess. I just. _Fuck. _It's my little cousin's 21st birthday this week, she wanted me to come see her and spend a few days with her - she's getting her first tattoo and I haven't seen her since the wedding," she added, giggling at the look he'd given her when she swore.

"And I suppose you're planning on going, then?"

"I'd like. It would only be for a week or so, could be up to two if my aunt and uncle drop by, they haven't seen me in forever." 

He nodded. 

"Alright. That's fine, I just don't want you exhausting yourself over something you clearly can't explain. And come along, the fire's dying - at this point I'm sure our room is warmer," he suggested.

She gawked, confused.

"You _don't _get it, do you? I'm _trying_ to get you to talk about what happened, anything to see if three hundred years of experience in being undead has added any knowledge as to explaining the world around you! Clearly that hasn't changed anything." 

Pulling the blanket off and throwing it to the chair on the other side of the room, she stood up, running a hand through her hair. 

"And I thought age was supposed to solve everything." she giggled, realizing she'd sounded way more sarcastic than she'd intended. 

"Adeline, what is your problem? You've turned this entire conversation to a place that I'm not even sure what you point is!" 

"Maybe if you'd listen a little more the little sarcastic remarks and random questions wouldn't bug you! But no, four years and it looks like you're finally tuning me out." 

"Tuning you out- four years - I'm not- what even- no. There _you _go again, blowing something as trivial as a logical argument up into something that's a far bigger issue than it needs to be," he countered, standing up as she turned to face him. 

"Something _trivial?! TRIVIAL?! _We're talking about my best friend, the girl I've known ten years longer than I've known you, the girl who's been with me through everything, the girl that would have been my maid of honor if she hadn't been dead, and now she's sudden alive again and I don't have a reason and I'VE JUST MISSED HER SO FUCKING MUCH!"

And before she could get a handle on her emotions, she'd cracked and had collapsed into him, sobbing just as hard as the day she'd died. 

"You're only upset because you never coped with her death in the first place. Sometimes it'll still hurt - just as you can still feel the initial burn venom entering your bloodstream after a bite. Normally I would say time heals these sorts of wounds, but sometimes, they just simply don't go away. They linger in your thoughts - the faces of the ones you never thought would affect you, the voice of someone you believe you had loved. But then you find yourself mulling over past mistakes and the things you'd do over if you got the chance. Being what we are, we carry with us the misfortune of remembering every last incident of our pride being wounded, or our hearts being scared when they finally walk away. Time does not by any means heal these wounds; it simply makes them dimmer as the sun rises on each new day. Don't dwell on the past, for if you do, you'll never manage to trace the forgotten strands of your humanity that remain - the simple act of hoping for a better future and the realization that sometimes, we must learn to accept the things that hurt us the most."

She calmed down enough to look up at him in complete awe, for once he was back to sounding like he was from the era he and the boys used to dress like.

"Th-that was beautiful. But baby, it's sad how much energy a good cry can take out of you...and you're probably right about the room, as well as the fire. I'm sorry about yelling, she just...having her show up out of nowhere hurts, because it just brings so many memories back and I can't explain that fact that-"

He ruffled her hair, kissing her forehead, "Alright, that's the fourth or fifth time you've said that now, you need sleep. And if there's one thing I've learned from being this old? Never go to bed angry. It wrecks your mood for the next few days, and makes it harder to sleep when the person you're fighting with is right beside you. I know this whole thing is difficult for you, but I seriously wouldn't put too much thought into it. Life works in mysterious ways."

She nodded.

"Fine. I'll try to let it go - but about my cousin's party, I can go? I figured I'd hit the road tomorrow so I can make it there by Tuesday, I'll let you know when I get there and all."

"You can just teleport you know. But yes, that's fine. Now come on, it's bedtime."

"But _BABY! _I'm not a pre teen mortal anymore, don't make it sound so...childish!"

He smirked, lifting her into his arms, starting to walk towards the staircase, "Aw, does that mean you don't want to be tucked in? And you don't want to sleep with the pelt as if it was a teddy bear? Or you'd rather I not sing to you anymore?" 

She glared, trying to look like the things he'd said had hurt, but she only replied with a playful "Shut up."


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, she packed and got everything ready - in truth, she'd lied to William about why she needed to leave that week. 

True, it was her cousin's birthday, but she wasn't going to visit her. She was planning to go visit Simple Plan in Canada, and talk to the one person she knew would believe her if she talked about Amelia.

When she had finished packing, she made some tea and threw it into a tumbler to take with her, and then went to tell William goodbye, careful to not mention where she was going, only that she'd let him know when she got there and when she'd be back. 

As soon as she got outside, she teleported, although she had no idea where exactly she was going.

She ended up somewhere in downtown Montreal, the backpack still securely on her, the tumbler with dragonfruit deviation tea still too hot to drink.

"Great. How the hell am I supposed to find them? Oh, right...duh, cell phone."

Pulling out her phone, she logged onto twitter and started sending direct messages to the Simple Plan guys. 

Within twenty minutes she was walking into Pierre's, surprised they hadn't freaked at her just randomly showing up. 

"So. First Amelia and now AJ's here, can this week get any weirder?" Jeff asked, grabbing for a slice of pizza, not noticing David grab his soda at the same time. 

"Dude get your own, that's mine! And, damn, did you really eat half of this by yourself?" he continued, noticing the stack of crust edges on the airbender's plate.

"I can't help it, I'm hungry?" 

AJ laughed, "You guys haven't changed at all...although what you just said, Jeff, that's interesting. You guys saw Amelia too?" 

"It's weird though. It's like it wasn't her. It looked exactly like her, but she said her name was Jessica. I don't know what's real anymore." Sebastien explained.

"Wait what? Maybe she was just playing a game with you guys at first, because it clearly was her...she explained her death by this magic trick where she apparently could slow her heart rate down enough to make it stop...she wouldn't go into detail about how she got out of what Pierre did to her, though."

Automatically she looked at the singer, who lowered his head, "It's been four years and I still feel terrible...but if she's back, she's back, right?"

"Well, as an Airbender, I was taught that reincarnation after death was possible, so it could be her," David piped up. 

"Yeah, but if she was reincarnated, she would remember who she was in a past life, wouldn't she?" Chuck asked 

"I would think so. I've never been reincarnated, so I wouldn't know."

"Lord help us all if we ever see the day that David is reincarnated. I hope you come back as a rock or something. That way, you can't cause any trouble," Pierre said, sticking his tongue out at David.

David smiled. "Actually, I wouldn't mind being a rabbit. Those things screw like crazy!"

Chuck reached over and smacked him in the head. "Why must you always be so inappropriate?"

David only smiled. AJ stood up and walked into the adjacent room. From behind her, she could hear Chuck saying, "Look what you did, David! You scared her off." 

AJ sat down and put her head in her hands. She heard someone come in and sit down next to her.

"Hey, are you okay?" Seb asked.

She looked up at him and shrugged. "I have no idea. This whole situation with Amelia is just so impossible and I honestly don't know what to believe anymore."

"I know what you mean," he replied as she turned to face him, she continuing, "I miss her. She died right in front of us, and then she- she- she shows up AT MY HOUSE and…she…it's her. She's back. I can't- how is this even? I can't explain it and it's making my head hurt and I just…ugh!" 

"I ran into her before you did, she's convinced she's lived in Montreal all her life."

"Well, there was one thing – she seemed to recognize William more than me, although it didn't seem like it was Amelia, she was…cold, almost distant. It really creeped me out, he was almost…well, as friendly as the Dandies can be when the person isn't me, that was him towards her. He seemed to know her already, and she him. Really unnerved me, being I've known her longer…" 

"There's something really unnerving me and I can't figure it out, but it's in your eyes." He continued, having been watching her, noticing she kept looking at him a certain way. He reached for her hand, automatically she didn't pull away; she seemed to smile through her tears.

"Kiss me." She said suddenly. 

His blue eyes widened, and he shook his head, stammering a, "Wait, wh-wh-what?"

Her smile broadened, and she winked, realizing this was the only time all of those countless hours in foreign language class was going to pay off, being she'd became fluent in due time.

"Embrassez moi." 

Sebastien blinks, his mind spinning in a million different directions, the voice in the back of his head screaming louder than his heartbeat.

_No. No. NO._

After Amelia, this just – it – he couldn't. He knew they both missed Amelia, but for AJ to turn and ask him that as a way around her feelings? It wasn't- it wasn't right. 

The more he looked at her though, the more he saw traces of the friend he'd loved reflected in her gaze – she had relaxed some, he noticed through her tweets she'd retreated into books and magic the same way Amelia had when she'd been bored.

That didn't mean he was going to let himself get lost in the situation, but in the end he had no control as AJ gathered the fabric of the front of his shirt into the hand she fisted against his chest and kissed him for as long as she could.

The two sprang apart at the crash of a beer bottle hitting the floor, and turned to see a mortified Chuck standing in the doorway, a complete look of shock on his face.

"WHAT. THE. HELL?"

"Her fault!" Seb protested, but by that time AJ had let go of him and started to get up, excusing herself to step past Chuck to go see whatever David and Pierre were doing.

"What the hell were you thinking? She just- If William finds out that even happened, we're all dead!"

"Dude, calm down. She asked me to, it's not like it was anything worse than that!"

"Guys, what are you yelling about? I thought all the stuff with the Dandies was done, what's William got to do with anything?" David wondered, walking into the kitchen, completely clueless as to what Chuck had just seen. 

"In case you haven't noticed, his _wife_ is here and I just caught her kissing Seb," Chuck replied as nonchalantly as possible, though he couldn't help cracking a smile at the danger it presented. 

"SEB YOU WHAT?!" David's entire face lit up, and his shout brought Pierre and Jeff into the room, curious as to why everyone was yelling. 

"It's _not _like we had sex or anything, would you calm down? You're acting like such a worried mother, jesus."

"Yet." Pierre snickered, to which this only received a glare from everything other person in the room.

And of course by this time, AJ had came in.

"Are you guys okay? I hear shouting and I always get kinda concerned because usually when that happened with the boys, Sisky and Butcher were always doing something stupid and more than often dangerous," she explained, laughing. 

"Yeah, we're fine. Do you have any idea when you need to go back to Chicago?" Seb asked her, to which she shrugged, "Whenever. I doubt he even realizes I'm gone. I said I needed to go visit family, so he's got no idea I'm here really." 

"Smooth move. Think he'd ever actually try to find you?"

"Well, right before I left, we got into a huge fight, see, I left right after Amelia showed up, I needed to get away and clear my head. There's just something about her not being dead that I don't think she can simply excuse with magic, you know?"

"But the girl _we _saw wasn't Amelia. Her name was-"

"Yeah, I know, Seb told me. And that whole thing you walked in on was just him doing it because I asked him to, and even then I made the impulse move, as he clearly wasn't going to. So there's nothing to worry about." 

"Well that's great, but-"

"It's fine. There's really nothing to worry about .William thinks I'm in Missouri visiting my cousin for her birthday."

Later that night, after a two hour marathon of playing video games (in which AJ single handly smoked the guys in Halo ODST), and then watching a few scary movies, everyone decided to call it a night.

Being nobody really felt like going back to their own places, everyone crashed at Pierre's, since his house was big enough. The boys had all gone to their rooms, but before that Pierre had grabbed AJ some blankets and a few pillows so she could sleep out on the couch in the living room.

And try as she may, sleep wouldn't come. It was weird, she couldn't stop thinking about Amelia, _still _trying to figure out how the hell any of this was possible. And then her mind drifted to Seb, and her two second move that had actually made her feel a little better, being it didn't seem that William was understanding how she was feeling whereas Sebastien obviously was going through the same thing.

But then, yet another idea hit her. The movie _had _been pretty scary, if she really wanted to she could pull the scared-date card and see if she could atleast sleep in the same room as him, not that she'd let things go any further.

Smiling as she sat up and yawned, she grabbed her phone, this time actually texting Seb instead of going to twitter, being the guys had all programmed their numbers into her phone.

'_You still awake? I can't sleep. That movie...it just. Yeah.'_

A minute later her phone buzzed with a reply.

'_I know I shouldn't even be suggesting this given the guys' reactions, but if you're really that scared, if you want to come sleep in here, it's okay. Third door on the right.'_

AJ smiled, hell, she didn't even have to try. Maybe her move earlier had changed some things? Being as quiet as she could, she tiptoed to the room he'd said, and knocked on the door, surprised to have him open it so quickly. 

"I'm sorry...psychological horror movies just don't sit well with me," she apologized as he motioned for her to come into the room. 

"It's alright. I've been thinking too, just about everything. And I don't know what you did earlier, but there's just something about you that makes you easy to be by. It's the same comforting energy she had, almost." 

She giggled, climbing up on the large bed, putting down the extra pillow she'd brought in.

"_Well._ I did know her long enough that we were finishing each other's sentences without even trying. We'd have the same reactions to things and it wasn't even planned like that. And then..well, I've calmed down some, since she hasn't been around to rein me in, I've learned the hard way. I'm not quite as bad as David though."

"Believe me, we're all thankful for that. It's hard enough dealing with just one of him...but you look tired. Lay down, get some sleep."

She nodded, slipping under the covers, watching as he walked to the other side of the bed and climbed in. 


	4. Chapter 4

And when she woke up the next morning, he wasn't there. For a moment her heart skipped a beat, before she remembered she wasn't home and it hadn't been William in the room the night before.

She looked up at the knock on the door, and called for the person to come in, not surprised to see Seb holding a tray of pancakes and a glass of blood.

"Breakfast in bed? Must you Canadiens always be so damn polite?"

He laughed, closing the door behind him with his foot.

But the blood wasn't what she noticed first - it had been the little bottle of maple syrup next to the plate of pancakes.

"Please tell me that's real maple syrup...I've never had like legit stuff..." she stated as he set it down in front of her, where she immediately drank down the glass of blood.

"We're in Canada, do you really think that's going to be artificially flavored?" he teased, and then she noticed - like he'd said before how something had been in her eyes, whatever it was were now in his.

And forget about William's molten chocolate irises, Sebastien's were a breathtaking pale blue, almost like Jared Leto's, but not quite AJ realized with a smug grin.

She only wanted to test if she thought things had changed between them, so, as she was cutting up her pancakes and pouring the syrup over them, she started, "I mean…I know you and Amelia were close, granted maybe not as close as William and I, but I mean…and this is a really really stupid idea on my part, but uh, if you wanted, maybe one of these nights…peut-être vous pourriez dormir avec moi et faire semblant j'étais elle? J'admets que je ne veux pas dire "dormir avec" dormir avec, mais c'est ce que je veux dire."

She finished in a rush, reverting to French because she was nervous.

Seb was quiet for a moment, thinking over what she'd just said. This was proof that she too had felt something change, something yesterday had just been converted when she'd kissed him, and now, she was wanting to take it up a notch.

"Adeline, I don't think that'd be the best thing for us...I mean, that fact that she's gone seems to be bringing us closer, but you need to remember-" he began before she cut him off.

"And I know you miss her…I mean, she never wanted to talk about that kind of stuff, but I think as her best friend she would've told me if anything had happened and I just. Forget I said anything; it's a really bad idea. I probably should get going, anyways. Thanks for letting my stay here last night."

She moved the tray and tried to get up, but Seb put a hand out to stop her.

"Atleast finish eating, and then you can leave if you want. I know what you want and get where you're coming from, but - look at your hand, you have a ring. You're _married_, Adeline. You can't just go off and start sleeping around with-" 

"I don't have it, see?" she shot back, holding up her hand, and for the first time in four years her ring finger wasn't decorated with the little metal band that had sealed her and William's love.

"Yeah but-" he paused, sitting down beside her, leaning forward to look straight into her eyes, anything to atleast try to talk some sense into her.

And then he didn't watch where he was putting his hands, and one of them landed on the plate.

She giggled, biting her lip as her eyes lit up, if that had been William that would have done that she would've said something sexy, but she shrugged and grabbed Seb's wrist to lift his hand off the food with one hand, the other scooting the tray further over, enough to slip it on the nightstand without causing more of a mess. 

Not saying anything, she batted her eyelashes and pulled his hand to her lips, licking the syrup off his fingertips.

Still holding his wrist, she smiled, trying to think where she wanted this to go, if she could get him to go there.

"You're right. This _is _real maple syrup."

She didn't say anything else for a few seconds, waiting to see his reaction.

How many times was she going to do this to him? The random kiss the day before, the scary movie and she asking to sleep in his room, asking to sleep with him for real, and now something she clearly wanted to be seen as foreplay. 

He knew how bad the situation was, but at that moment, he didn't care. True, he missed Amelia, but when what AJ had said, what she'd just done – Seb had to hand it to her, she certainly knew how to work with what was around her. 

So what he did next surprised even himself. He got up, walked over to the door, and made sure it was locked, just in case the others got back and wanted to know what the hell was going on.

Jeff, Chuck, Pierre and David had decided to go out for a few errands (mostly looking at gear, and then getting more blood, the rest of whatever needed to be done he wasn't sure), and wouldn't be back until early afternoon.

Turning back to look at her, he grinned.

"You're so lucky the guys left us here alone."

"Mhm – I can't believe I talked you into this – nyahm-" AJ moaned, looking up and blinking slowly at the 5'7 guitarist that was supporting himself on his elbows ontop of her, face buried into the crook of her neck, lips caressing every inch of pale skin they could reach, their clothes long gone, sheets and the thicker comforter pulled over them.

Being he was shorter than William, it took a few minutes for AJ to get used to the height change; this almost seemed easier, being he was only three inches taller than her opposed to a foot. Just that alone had made the internal adjustment easier, though she couldn't resist light squeaks and gasps as he'd settled in.

"If you wouldn't have pulled that little trick with the syrup, I probably wouldn't have thought I'd be doing this," he murmured, one hand running down her body, nails racking into her hip, where her body automatically arched against him, giving both of them a new sensation, at which he groaned.

"Urfmh ah god you're one of those…" she giggled, one hand moving into his hair to pull his lips up to hers, her other hand snaking around his back while their tongues fought, he winning, pressing himself tighter against her as the coldness of her skin began to fade as the heat space between them began to heat up. 

When he pulled back, she giggled, licking her lips, careful to let him glimpse her fangs, notice exactly how dilated her pupils were with lust.

"Je dois vous avertir, amoureux…" she paused, biting her lip, "J'aime aussi. Rugueux."

Sebastien grinned, "Oh miel, vous ne devriez pas parler comme ça quand vous êtes au lit avec un loup."

She could have melted right there, between his words and the way their bodies had begun to move in time, a rhythm kept with the pounding of their hearts.

"So..let's have it than." She teased, trying to arch against him, not surprised when he grabbed for her hands to hold them above her head, his lips on her face – forehead, cheeks, nose, chin, moving in order, down the front of her neck, over her collarbone, finding the one patch of skin that he knew would be slightly painful but in more pleasure than pain.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, mon cheri."

She bucked her hips at the same exactly moment his mouth opened, setting off a chain reaction, for the moment they came back down, he'd slid even deeper within, his mouth sealing on the tender skin, teeth sinking in as she cried out.

It didn't hit him what he'd done until after he'd gotten lost in the taste of her blood, although he wasn't drinking it.

It was flowery, but not so much that it was all greenhouse or fairytale lawn-ish. It was woodsier, like a meadow, although there was the slightest hint of something stronger, like peppered meat smoking over a cedar fire – this trace, he guessed, was due to William being the one to turn her.

But he hadn't stopped there, once he bit her, something flipped and he got rougher, somehow letting go of her hands, hers scratching up and down along his back and sides, anything to try to get a grip as the dance became more passionate, speed and intensity picking up.

When he removes his mouth from her neck, her blood is on his lips and her body is absolutely calling to him, his mind no longer believing anything she'd suggested was a bad idea.

"Sebas-Sebastien…I'm-" her eyes are almost rolling to the back of her head, and her breathing is labored, he can tell she's on the edge, but she pecks his lips, licking the blood off them before yelping softly.

He can feel her body beginning to unwind, the adrenalin almost at its peak.

"Embrassez moi. s'il vous plaît. Be-before I s-scream," she panted, hoping this would be the one time time being loud wasn't going to be a problem if she couldn't help it.

"Je tiens à vous entendre, Adeline." He encouraged gently, her hazel gaze burning into his memory, the moment lasting maybe a few eternal seconds before she nodded, managing a deep breath.

His hips continuously slamming into hers, one of his hands ran down her side, he was sure he was drawing blood, but the thought was torn from his head when her scream interrupted it, calling his name as she came undone beneath him. 

Not long after, he growled her own as she moaned; her release triggering his own.

He wasn't sure how long they'd laid there after he'd pulled out, their bodies still interwound, both coming off of highs. He was faintly aware of her hands running through his hair, the occasional kiss on the chest.

"Merci beaucoup." She sighed softly, giggling as she turned over to sit up, sliding off the bed to stand and stretch, afterwards retrieving her clothes, pulling them back on as torturously slow as possible, knowing he was watching her every move. 

"Must you tease me like this? You'll be lucky if I don't pin you to the wall and do it again," he threatened playfully, she only turned her head and winked, tossing him his shirt and jeans. 

"Can I get my boxers back?"

She shook her head, pulling up her shirt, and he face palmed, she'd already pulled them on under her sweatpants. 

"I'm sure the little lycan can deal, can't he?" she teased, climbing back up on the bed to kiss him, surprised when he growled and held up a hand for her to stop. 

"Oh come on, I'll let you keep my panties…as those are aerie lace tangas, they're not cheap." She continued, noticing he'd began to dress hastily. 

"Sebastien, what's wrong? Is it something I did?" she wondered, confused as to why he was acting like that.

And then she heard keys get inserted into a lock, and that latch being turned.

The guys were home, early.


	5. Chapter 5

"Adeline, just- great. How are we going to explain this one?"

"I got it." And she smiled, getting up and unlocking the door, walking out into the hallway, beelining for the linen closet next to the bathroom, yawning as she did so.

"What are you-" he more or less mumbled to himself, grabbing the plate of pancakes and the empty glass, afterwards walking to the kitchen just as the others got into the living room.

"Hey guys we're back!" David yelled.

"Oh, morning guys! You'll never believe what Seb did this morning for me," AJ started; walking out into the main room from the hall, and for a moment Seb almost thought she was going to just spill what had happened.

"He made you pancakes, we know. Wanted to let you sleep, insisted on staying here so you wouldn't be alone." Jeff replied.

"Though you weren't on the couch this morning when the rest of us got up, what's with that?" Pierre asked.

"Oh. Yeah, I should've mentioned, scary movies kinda get to me…I didn't want to be alone so I kinda of texted Seb and asked if I could stay in his room."

She smiled, walking over to hug each of the guys good morning, realizing full well that the bite mark Seb had left on her was completely visible due to the fact she was still in her pajamas, and the top was a spaghetti strap cami.

"AJ, what's with-" Chuck started, before the thought hit him, _she'd stayed with Seb last night_.

"SEBASTIEN WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO AJ?!"

Pierre and David looked at each other and giggled, "Told you so."

"Can you guys not start a huge fight in the morning? It's too early for yelling."

"That's not what we heard," David mumbled under his breath, only to have Pierre crack up beside him.

"And um, if you guys wouldn't mind, can one of you show me how to work the shower? I kinda accidentally knocked over the syrup bottle from the tray as I was trying to pour it and although I licked most of it off, I'm still sticky."

That only made Pierre laugh harder, before he tried to add a, "Yeah, sticky with- OW HEY!" before David elbowed him; that should've been _his _joke.

And right at that moment, Seb had walked back by AJ, trying not to think of how much trouble he was in.

"Come on, it's not hard to work, not like some hotel ones can be."

"Hard to work, yeah, she probably learned how to work it _real _quick," Pierre whispered to David who only added, "If you know what I mean."

Three minutes later the boys heard the shower start and then a more than playful, "NOW GET OUT!" being yelled as Seb closed the door behind him, being AJ was undressing yet again.

When he turned around and walked back into the living room, he found the rest of the guys sitting around, David and Pierre on the couch, Jeff in one of the recliners, Chuck leaning against the front door with his arms crossed over his chest, all looking at him.

"What?" he asked, already getting the feeling he'd gotten himself into a lot more trouble than AJ had been worth.

"What the hell was all that? The way she was so eager to get in the shower…I've never seen a girl move that fast! And don't tell me it's because she expects you to join her, it's like you guys are already in something…like you've gone and replaced Amelia with her. Letting her sleep with you last night? Think about it!" Chuck started, having had the argument pretty much prepared from the moment he'd walked in on them kissing the first time.

"I didn't replace her, it just – she knows exactly how I feel about missing her, we both needed to have someone else understand us! And I didn't sleep with her last night; she just fell asleep in the same bed. Nothing happened."

"Maybe not last night, but this morning, definitely. Clearly she thinks you did, being she let you willingly turn her into a hybrid," Pierre remarked, "When she hugged me, I could tell, everything about her scent changed compared to yesterday, her clothes, her hair – she smells like _you._"

"It's not like I meant to turn her, guys! She brought that on herself, being all provocative with her teasing! She pretty much dared me to see how dangerous I can be!"

"Not dangerous enough if you couldn't shut her up in the middle of all that, geez, she's one hell of a screamer." David added from his perch on the arm of the couch.

"DAVID DID YOU REALLY JUST-" Seb reprimanded, but by that point Pierre had high fived him, "HA! Dude, that's twice the normal burns we usually lay on Chuck! I like having her around; it's so easy to make dirty jokes out of the stuff we hear from you two!"

Seb glared at both of them, shaking his head, "Guys, don't make me hurt you."

"Or what, you're gonna bite us and then offer to show us how to work the shower because we need to get _cleaned _up?" Pierre said quickly, immediately getting up to go hid behind Jeff, knowing that the oni would be able to restrain the annoyed lycan if he really had to.

Sebastien shot him a dirty glare. "No no, go ahead, Pierre. Test me and see what happens."

Just as Pierre was about to say something, Seb's phone went off.

Immediately flipping past the lock screen, he tried to keep a straight face at the text he'd just got.

'_Help? My hair's so curly I'm afraid I'm going break the comb...and uh, water's still hot. ;)'_

"Oh for fuck's sake."

He shrugged, putting his phone back in his pocket before the thought hit him that she probably had her phone with her while she was in the shower.

"What, who was that, huh? Was it _hhheeerrrr?_" David singsonged, but Seb had already turned around and started walking back down the hall towards the bathroom, maybe he'd take her up on the offer. After all, he'd already turned her, what else could happen?

"Where're you going, hhhmmm?" Pierre called after him, still snickering at the earlier jokes.

"Away from you. AJ needs help with something, I probably forgot to grab her a towel, that's all."

"Probably forgot that now she's turned she's probably a horny bitch right now," David mumbled, but everyone still heard, and Chuck didn't waste any time in giving the Airbender a look that said if he wanted to live he'd better shut up.

"Both. Of. You. You'd better knock this off."

Pierre gave David a sideways glance, who nodded in return.

"Yeah, like the movable showerhead off its hinges that she's most likely got between her-"

"PIERRE SHUT UP!" Jeff yelled, but by that time the sentence hung in the air and Seb had grabbed the moment, taking it to tackle the earthbender, who, after almost hitting his head on the coffee table, only stuck out his tongue and stated, "You know I'm probably right."

This only caused the two to wrestle more, stopping only when Jeff and Chuck stepped in, Jeff managing to get ahold of Pierre to pull him out of the way while Chuck used bloodbending to force Seb to calm down.

"Oh come on, it's not like I was going to kill him!" he protested, stuck still while Pierre took a seat next to David and the two whispered things back and forth, this time being careful to not let anyone hear.

"Now, you see how Pierre and David are pissing you off just by saying what they're saying about the whole thing? Granted, Pierre – that last comment probably shouldn't have been said anyways."

Seb nodded, Pierre only rolled his eyes.

"Imagine how William's going to react when he finds out that you turned her. You know how vampires are – you two are already mortal enemies, throw a girl into the mix and there goes anyone hoping for you both to walk out alive." Chuck tried; hoping some sense of danger would finally hit the lycan.

"He'd understand, I'd hope, _how_ many girls has he killed now? He's older than everyone here."

"There's a difference between girls you find in bars when you're hungry and the girl you married a few years ago, in his case. And there's also a difference between killing them and tainting them, as he'll most likely see it. She just. Ugh, you can smell _you _all over her." Pierre added.

"So? Once she switches clothes and washes her hair a few times, it'll fade."

David sighed.

"Seb, look at it this way – sure, the scent might fade after a while, but the fact you _bit _her? Blood drinking between two vampires like that with such a strong bond is just as sexual as everything you and her did this morning. Even if Beckett can't smell it, he'll be able to taste it. We're as good as dead if he shows up here."

Sebastien ran a hand through his hair, internally wishing AJ was pulling at it, _damn, she could have that effect on guys, _he realized, no wonder Carden had always been after her.

"He's not just going to show up, guys. Think, He's got all of Chicago to worry about!"

"You can keep telling yourself that, but I wouldn't underestimate anybody when their significant other is involved." Jeff threw in.

"Can we all stop ganging up on me? I get it, I fucked up, big time. Sure, it'll come back around sooner or later, I get that. What else do you want me to say?"

Before he could add a 'don't answer that', David had looked at Pierre, who grinned.

"Adeline, s'enfuir avec moi. Je vais m'assurer qu'il ne sait jamais, nous allons sortir et disparaître, juste nous deux. Oubliez les mecs, Je t'aime." David said, trying to imitate Sebastien as best he could.

"Sebas-Sebastien, embrassez moi, Je t'aime tant de aussi!" Pierre said back in the most girlish voice he could manage, winking before pretending to faint.

"THAT'S IT, I'M MURDERING BOTH OF YOU!"

"WOULD YOU GUYS QUIT IT WITH THE YELLING ALREADY? YOU'RE GIVIN' ME A HEADACHE!" 

Everyone turned at her voice to find AJ standing in the hallway, towel wrapped her, a comb stuck in the mess of still-dripping curls, smiling like she'd just had a really good dream. 

"I could hear everything, supernatural hearing fuckin' sucks. And Pierre," she giggled, quickly glancing at Seb, "That shower idea...you're lucky I'm not home, now I've _got _to get William to buy one like that."

"So you didn'-"

"No, you _really _think I'm _that _bad?" 

David saw another chance and took it, "Pretty sure everyone agrees otherwise."

"Oh shut up. I'm gonna go get dressed, and then, uh...you guys mind teaching me some stuff on the guitar? I need to learn new stuff." 

Seb and Jeff both nodded.

As she walked off to the room she'd slept in to change after grabbing her backpack, all the guys laughed.

"Damn, she's worse than the two of you." Jeff said, looking at Pierre and David.

"I'm just happy I can still use that shower." Pierre smiled.

"Oh like you haven't had a girl over here before!?"

"Man, you wanna go? Tonight, let's go out and see who can give his numbers to more girls, guarantee I'll win. No contest."

"Here we go again."


	6. Chapter 6

Twenty minutes later she'd came out of the room, trying to adjust a headband, humming something off of the self titled CD. Taking a seat on one side of the couch, she smiled. 

"So. Um, I texted William finally, and he doesn't care how long I stay, not that he knows I'm here. Did you guys have any plans today? If you need me to go home, just tell me."

"Plans? What are those?" Jeff asked half-seriously, grabbing for the guitar the case on the other side of the room.

"So you're all just okay with me chillin' here then? For a few more days atleast..." 

"Yeah, it's cool." 

"Hey Seb, I totally didn't think of bringing one of my guitars with me...mind if I use one of yours?" AJ asked, already admiring the hardware of the blacktop American deluxe Fender Strat that Jeff was messing with before she added, "And usually I'd bring my Martin & CO, I've had a travel size one since junior year, it's been with me everywhere, I just wasn't thinking and kind of left in a rush because my emotions got in the way." 

"Have you ever played Takamine ones before?" 

"YOU HAVE A TAKAMINE?! Ugh they have such rich sound, they're warmer than M&C's and tend to be anywhere from $200 to $2,000 more per guitar and OH MY GOD IT'S SO PRETTY!"

"Look at her, she's like a teenage boy at a car show." David said, shrugging as he went to head downstairs to fire up the xbox, intending to smoke everybody this time in halo now that AJ wouldn't be playing that round.

"THAT'S NOT A BAD THING WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT YOU LIKE!" AJ called after him, eyes wide with awe as Seb handed her the black acoustic. 

Immediately she started messing around with different chord progressions, two minutes later realizing why one sounded so damn familiar. 

"Oh! Duh, why didn't I think of this? Isn't this- I need a capo." 

"Here." 

The minute Jeff handed her it she put it on the the first fret and started playing the chords again, this time remembering the strum pattern with the palm mutes. 

It didn't hit her what song it was until she realized Jeff had started playing a lead lick over it, which only made her smile so wide her face hurt. 

It'd been Welcome to My Life.

"Damn. Can't believe it took me half the song to figure out what this was! And like, I don't even remember looking up chords or anything, I just think I listened to it so much I learned it by memory!"

Seb only looked at her and shook his head, "You _sure_ you need us to teach you stuff? You seem like you're pretty good self taught." 

She giggled.

"Trust me, that's the only song I can play like that,, everything else I need chords for. But seriously, out of everything the one thing I really want to learn is the repetitive little lick from Crazy, or the intro to Your Love Is A Lie. Oh, and Perfect, too - I've spent like three years trying to play that and I always do it wrong. And then I'm cool with whatever else you guys wanna throw at me."

"That's doable. Seb, I'll teach her the lead parts for that stuff and then you can follow up with the rhythm, that way if she ever feels like doing a cover or something she'll know both." 

He nodded.

Half an hour later, she'd finally got most of what she'd wanted to learn done - save for the intro to Your Love Is A Lie, where her fingers kept fumbling over the frets just milliseconds late.

"Hey, do you mind if I work with chords for a bit? I've got this thing where I can only play lead for so long before my coordination goes out the window - then if I switch to chords for a bit it comes back, so I flip back and forth."

"That's fine, Seb, why don't you take over for a bit? I'm gonna go see how badly David's ass is getting kicked, he thinks he can actually play, it's sad. Chuck and Pierre are probably teaming up against him with plasma grenades and lack of ammo."

"You guys want to go another round later, I'll own you all again and then I'll pay for dinner to make up for it." AJ suggested, but he'd already left the room.

"Paying for dinner for the six of us? You sure you have enough cash?" Seb teased, turning to look at AJ, then the guitar, then the way her fingers were already forming chords against the frets. 

"What do you want to start with? I think since you've got Crazy down pretty well, that'd be the best to start with." 

"I'm perfectly fine with that. There's so many different ways to play stuff though, usually I just do traditional long chords...it's weird but that's how I play. OH WAIT I GOT IT! How did you guys play that one version of it when Pierre was really sick so David had to sing the chorus the entire time? I mean, that's probably how you always play it, but I'd still like to learn because it's different for what I normally do and-" 

She went crossed-eyed at the finger he put to her lips, but the answering smile cleared the moment of confusion as he leaned over and kissed her, pulling back with a slight smirk.

"You're talking too much. And it's just power chords, really. Simplified versions of the ones you already know." he explained, getting up, and before AJ realized what the scene before her was turning into, she already knew how things would end.

'_It's like I've stepped into a Nicholas Sparks book...I mean, come on. He's doing the typical musician teaching his girlfriend stuff pose...' _she mused as she realized he'd gotten up and came to sit by her on the couch - well, he'd climbed partially over her, so he was sitting behind her with she between his legs, one of his arms resting over the side of the guitar she held, his other hand resting over her own near the fretboard. 

"Really? This looks like a scene right out of the video for Keith Urban's You'll Think Of Me...man, now there's a blast from the past. Funny how things change...I just."

Her smile dropped in an instant, the emotions in her eyes seemed to change just slightly. She actually almost dropped the guitar, and would've if Seb hadn't been sitting how he was with her.

"It was Amelia and I's first concert, back when we were kids. I was in junior high then, about to graduate. Wow, times have changed." she said sadly, before she started strumming at the chord she was on.

"So...how does that go then?"

"Well, here," he started, and her hand dropped from the fretboard so he could show her the chord progression, to which she mimicked, doing some blind palm muting just to get a feel for it.

"Now you start strumming it, don't bother palm muting, and I'll do this," he grinned, moving her hand along the fretboard through the progression as she played, trying to remember how exactly the pattern went.

Before long she'd gotten the movement of both the fretting and the strum pattern down, and Seb hand moved his hands from the guitar to wrapping them around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder as he listened to her play through it a few times.

"You should try singing with it."

"Uh-" she paused, dropping the pick. "I don't- I can't- my voice is-you _don't _want to hear me sing."

"Please?" 

"I swear, if you do puppy dog eyes I'm gonna- damnit, fine!" she giggled, reaching for the pick again, trying to remember how it went so she wouldn't screw up.

"_Tell me what's wrong with society When everywhere I look, I see_

_Young girls dying to be on TV They won't stop till they've reached their dreams_

_Diet pills, surgery Photoshopped pictures in magazines_

_Telling them how they should be It doesn't make sense to me_

_Is everybody going crazy? Is anybody gonna save me?_

_Can anybody tell me what's going on? Tell me what's going on?_

_If you open your eyes You'll see that something is wrong," _she sang, stopping just after the first chorus. 

If she'd still been human, she would've blushed scarlet, she never sang anymore - well, she did, just never in front of anyone.

"See? Your voice isn't so bad. It's all in your head. And besides - little off topic here, but you play really well for someone with such small hands," he remarked, which caused her immediately to turn her head to look at him, lips set in a half smirk with an eyebrow raised.

"Please tell me you're not going to make a joke out of that." 

He laughed.

"Judging by what you just said, your mind's quicker than my mouth. And you said you weren't as bad as David, yeah right."

"Do you _want _to see how corrupted my mind is?" she challenged, setting the guitar down resting against the side of the couch, turning where she sat so her legs were sprawled across the cushions and over his knee.

Before he could answer however, her ears picked up a familiar song, although it wasn't something she was glad to hear. 

"Fuck." While she'd been playing guitar, her phone had flipped to the spotify app and had opened one of the playlists - the one she listened to when she needed to make herself cry.

Within the first two chords of the piano, the familiar melody brings back so many memories, and before the singer gets the first word out tears are running down her face and she's standing, trying to act normal.

"AJ, what is-"

"_I can only imagine What it will be like When I walk By your side _

_I can only imagine What my eyes will see When your face Is before me..._

_I can only imagine..."_

The sharp crack of her phone being thrown across the room is heard, and upon hitting the opposite wall the back of it opened, dropping the battery and memory card, silencing whatever song had acted as a trigger. 

"Adeline, what-" Seb again went to ask her what was wrong and what'd caused her sudden change in behavior, but she'd already ran to the bathroom and slammed the door. 

Sebastien sat there in shocked silence for a few minutes, unsure of what exactly had happened. One song had caused her to throw a complete fit in the span of thirty seconds.

Getting up and walking towards the bathroom, he figured he'd atleast check on her, whatever song it had been had really shaken her.

Well, until he heard the guys coming back upstairs, Chuck complaining about how they always ended up teaming up against each other and then would all turn on him when he thought they were all going to turn on David.

"Uh, Seb, where's AJ?" Jeff asked.

"She's in the bathroom, sobbing. Her phone started playing this song and she just...reacted to it instantly. I was gonna see if she's okay."

"Did she say why the song got to her?"

"She didn't even get to the chorus, threw her phone and it split apart. I tried asking her what was wrong, but she'd ran to the bathroom already."

The others nodded, "It's probably her and an exes' song or something, girls can get like that." Pierre suggested as they all went to walk.

Chuck was the first person to knock on the door.

"Hey AJ, you okay? If you need to cry, it's fine, it's not like we're gonna laugh or anything."

"Music can hit people in different ways, we get it," Jeff added.

It was quiet, and the guys realized it didn't exactly sound like a girl sobbing from inside the bathroom. It sounded more...almost like a dog whimpering.

Pierre and David exchanged a look, "Dude remember when she took out that kid from Panic as a wolf? That's 'cuz she got really angry...what if she gets like that when she's emotional?"

"Nose goes! Just kidding guys, Seb gets to deal with this one!" David announced, grabbing Pierre's hand and pulling him back a few feet, Chuck and Jeff shrugging as they looked at Seb.

"If she's like that, you're the only one that'll understand her right now."

He nodded, looking at the door before knocking on it.

"Adeline, peut vous ouvrir la porte, ma chérie?" he tried, knowing she might actually do it if he asked in french. 

Reluctantly the door opened, and everyone got a shock. 

Instead of the short blonde girl standing there, well, it still was her, but it wasn't. 


	7. Chapter 7

Reluctantly the door opened, and everyone got a shock. 

Instead of the short blonde girl standing there, well, it still was her, but it wasn't. 

It seemed like she'd turned into one of those cosplayers with the fursuits, she seemed to be a bi-pedal wolf - honey blonde brown-tipped ears poking out of her curls, skin that hadn't been covered had become covered in fur, honey blonde at a first glance, although the very end of the strands the color seemed to get darker, giving way to dark brown. Even her face had changed, besides being covered in fur (which, the center of her face seemed to be the same honey blonde but as it reached the outer edges of her chin, jaw and forehead it turned the same dark brown as the fur the tipped her ears), it was taking on animalistic features of the species, with changed pupils that were rounder to allow more light in, the color causing everyone to take a step back. 

This wasn't because she simply looked more like a wolf. It was the color, or rather different colors. 

Sebastien internally sighed. 

_Hell, it's like looking at a mirror. _

"Is th-that typical of wolves?" David asked, before Seb explained, "It's called heterochromia iridum, just means the irises are two different colors. It's common among wolves and dogs, Siberian Huskies are notable for it. Most times the combination can change between brown, green and blue eyes, but it's usually blue and brown or hazel."

"Just like hers." 

"Yeah, but, her fur color changed." Pierre stated, "It's a darker brown in same spots. Sort of like-"

"Your hair." Chuck finished, eyes widening as he turned to look at Seb.

Seb ran a hand through his bangs and attempted to walk towards the obviously frightened she-wolf.

"Adeline I know you're scared, this isn't a form you're used to, I know. You probably just got like that because you're extremely emotional and don't have control of your phasing yet – it'll get easier as time goes on, I promise."

The only response from the girl was a low growl before it broke off into whimpering once again.

"Guys, can you just give us some space? David's right, it's probably best I handle this."

Everyone else nodded, and split off to keep themselves busy while he tried to deal with the new situation.

"Adeline, come on, let's get you out of here…do you want to go lie down and relax? I'll stay by you if you want me to."

She nodded, licking her lips as she reached out a paw towards him, her palm having turned into a pawpad, claws where her nails should be.

She'd never felt more self-conscience in her life than the short sprint to the room she'd woken up in.

Jumping on the large bed, she dove under the covers and refused to believe what had happened to her.

She sighed, kneading the sheets, still thoroughly confused. Was it possible Pierre was right?

Even just thinking about the song made her want to start crying again - it had been played at the funeral for a family member she'd absolutely loved and she could never shake the overwhelming sadness the memory of the day brought.

And then there was the fact he'd mentioned what had made her kill Brendon - she'd just gotten so mad that she didn't know what to do, it wasn't like she wanted to murder him, it was warranted given they were dealing with zombies and he probably was going to get them killed anyways.

Absentmindedly she smiled as she felt Seb scratch behind one of her ears, and she tilted her head into his touch.

"See? You're calming down already," he soothed, only causing her to lift her head and lick his face.

She looked at him, blinking slowly, trying to figure out why the guys had reacted so oddly. Remembering David had asked about her eyes, she mentally face palmed when she realized that the one eye that had changed colors was the left one – it had turned bright blue like Sebastien's, instead of the deep hazel that hers normally were.

_Even in this form I can't escape that damn curse. Speaking of curse, oh, fuck what's William going to do when he finds out about all this? Oh god, I'm dead, he HATES wolves and I…oh god what did I..this isn't-_

She couldn't help howling slightly in the sheer terror that had overtaken her, and she'd started shaking where she lay.

"Hey, hey, it's alright…it's alright. I know you're freaking out, just try to relax…here," he moved to lay down next to her, pulling her into his arms, one had moving to try to unbutton the shirt she wore.

Her two different colored eyes regarded him with curiosity, before that hand settled on her stomach, petting her in a pattern that gave her no choice but to relax against him and nuzzle her face into his neck, whining softly.

"There, that's a girl…" he turned his head to kiss her nose, still petting her, figuring he'd just lay there and hold her until she phased back.

She made some sort of noise in agreement and closed her eyes, feeling the energy from the memory of the funeral and the scare she'd given herself when she looked in the mirror melt away, focusing only on her breathing.

She wasn't sure how long she'd had her eyes closed for, but when she opened them and lifted her head from the crook of his neck, his were closed and he seemed to have fallen asleep.

She giggled, realizing the hand that had been petting her was still resting on her stomach.

"Sebastian…are you sleeping? I'm okay now…" she whispered, almost afraid to wake him if he was really asleep.

He didn't move, or say anything, She sighed.

"Dormez-vous?" she tried again, snuggling back into him to kiss the hollow behind his ear.

Noticing his face had cracked into a grin, she knew there would be one way to get him to move if he really was just faking the whole thing.

Sitting up and flipping herself over so she was straddling him, she leaned up into him, her hands on either side of his head, their noses probably an inch or two from touching before she said it a final time.

"Are. You. Sleeping?"

His eyes opened this time, and met her gaze, surprised to see her eyes were normal, her skin still a milky

pale despite having the lycan gene running in her veins.

"Morning," he drawled as he yawned, reaching up a hand to cup the back of her head, pulling her down into a kiss that she didn't even try to stop.

***CLICK***

AJ broke the kiss at the flash and turned to look at the doorway, seeing David with her camera – she

must've left it out when she was filming herself playing guitar before the fur fiasco hit.

She smiled, not moving off of Sebastien. In fact, it seemed he only wanted to help her make things worse, because the minute she went to threaten David, his hands were on her hips and she could tell they weren't going to move until they were alone, and even then she knew exactly where he wanted to take things, for as calm as he seemed there were looks that he would give her that could just make her want to fall apart.

"David, be a nice little half vampire and erase that picture you just took right now, then drop the camera, and I won't hurt you, okay?" AJ said, her voice reverting to the way things used to be – always when she

was yelling at Mike or Brendon for something.

"You really think you're gonna scare me? Oh lighten up, it's not like you're going to end up on-"

"David Philippe Derosiers if you don't drop that camera this instant – oh I'm an idiot," she paused, before narrowing her eyes, focusing on the camera in the airbender's hands.

Within seconds it had lifted out of them and into the air, and AJ caught it, flipping to the playback screen and erasing the entire memory card.

"How'd you-"

She giggled, looking back at David and pouted slightly.

"Aw, did someone forget I have telekinesis? Run along now, and leave us alone."

"Hahaha no, I don't trust you guys."

AJ looked at Seb, who nodded before his hands curled against her hips, her lip curling in a mock snarl.

Looking back at David, she smiled to see the slight fear in his eyes as he raised a hand and pointed at her.

"Y-your eyes…they're…they changed colors again!"

"Good boy, and you know why that is? When I get emotional. I'm going to get mad if you don't leave in a few seconds, and I don't think you want to see me furry again, do you?" she wagered, happy to see the bassist shake his head and slowly back out of the room.

"Close the goddamn d-" she started, unable to avoid the I Write Sins reference when the door didn't shut all the way as David left.

"Door." She finished, rolling her eyes as she used telekinesis to shut the door, locking it just to be sure.

"Do you always do that? Threaten whoever interrupts with telekinesis?"

She nodded, "Yeah, pretty much. The boys would never leave William and I alone, I had to do what I had to do some nights. Tying shoelaces was a start, then locking doors and then just locking them in their rooms. Sucks 'cuz Ryan and Chislett would know how to reverse it."

"No, I mean – well, that answered it, but well, when do you have to go back to Chicago? I mean, don't you miss him at all? And how'd you know David's middle name?"

She leaned down and put a hand through his bangs, tugging at them just enough to get him to smirk.

"Internet, chère. And come on, do you really think I miss him? Especially when you've got me like this?" she teased, snaking her hands under his shirt to pull it over his head, afterwards racking them back down, causing him to groan as the hands on her hips moved up to tug her own shirt off.

"Uh..are you _really _suggesting we do this again?"

She only leaned down to kiss him, pupils already dilated with lust, pulling away as her hands went for his

jeans, growling playfully, "Juste arrêter étant curieux et faire l'amour pour moi déjà!"


	8. Chapter 8

"Man, d'ya think she's back to normal yet?" Pierre asked, tossing another bag of chips over the side of the couch, Chuck handing him another one.

"Should be, but still. Hate to say this, but she's really pretty as a furry," he commented, scrolling back through the TV guide, there again was nothing on.

"Wait, go back, I saw an NHL game starting in about ten," Jeff said just as David came down the stairs, looking like he'd just seen a ghost.

"What's wrong with you, hey?"

"She is not pretty as a furry. She's scary as hell! Those eyes, god…I was gonna sneak up on them and take some pictures but she kinda…she took the camera and kinda made me get out," he admitted grinning.

"Pictures? David, what the hell?!" Chuck said, reaching over to slap the back of his head.

"OW! Hey, you know, because she's so buddy buddy with Seb now!"

"Speaking of being buddy buddy," Pierre added with a crooked grin, putting a hand over his ear, "God, I thought regular vampires and lycans were bad, but shit, do hybrids ever shut up?"

"Don't even tell me you're actually paying attention to that." Jeff countered, grabbing the remote from Chuck's other hand, "Guys, game's starting. Anybody want to bet?"

"You can't hear that? She's a screamer – worst one we've encountered yet, I'd say. Good thing we can just chill down here."

"Alright fine, guys, if we want things to go back to normal – fifty bucks to whoever can get her to leave by tomorrow night, otherwise we'll never hear that end of them, as David called it, screwing like rabbits." Jeff mentioned, laughing.

"Are you trying to be serious? That laugh ruined it."

"I'm serious, guys!"

"Fine, you're on!"

And in the few moments of quiet after that, everyone's somehow not surprised by the sudden scream from the floor above, never minding it wasn't just a scream, rather, it'd been a name.

"Alright that's it, I'm winning this!" Pierre declared, getting up to go upstairs.

"Dude, what are you gonna-"

"Nothing, just tell her William called."

And as the singer disappeared upstairs, Jeff turned to look at Chuck and David, managing to not pay attention to the Maple Leaves/Flames game that was on TV.

"He's evil." 

"I think I'm beginning to understand why you're so good at getting guys alone." Sebastien said as the two just lay there for the second time that day, her head on his chest, nails lightly tracing some pattern. 

"It's really not my fault, you guys just give in so easily that it's hard not to play along." 

She lifted her head at the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Oh hell here we go again. Good thing I locked it." she mumbled, sitting up and stretching her arms above her head, wincing at the dull ache in her shoulder, not surprised to see another set of bit marks to match her other shoulder. 

"Really, another set? Ugh, I should've even things up, turned you while I was at it..." 

He rolled his eyes, sitting up along with her, his arms going around her waist. 

"Désolé, l'amour. Pense que je n'étais au courant," he apologized, nuzzling her before someone knocked at the door. 

"Fuck." she deadpanned, leaning over to grab her shirt and atleast try to find the sweatpants before she actually answered it. 

"Be _right _there!" she called, tripping into aeropostale olive-green skinny sweats as she fumbled with the lock, Seb having gotten up and dressed in the time it'd taken her to find her sweatpants. 

Opening the door, she giggled at the sight of Pierre holding her phone. 

"Really, resorting to my _own _phone now?" she asked, holding her hand out for it.

He shrugged, "Nah, I wasn't trying that again to help David - you just have four missed messages from William, that's all." 

At the mention of her husband's name, AJ's eyes widened and she bit her lip. 

"W-well thanks for letting me know! um, I sh-should probably call him back!"

Pierre smiled, "That's a good idea. Oh, and by the way - that's not your shirt." he observed, grinning at the realization they'd put on each other's clothes because he'd startled them.

Turning back around and walking back downstairs to catch the second period of the hockey game, he laughed. When he'd said he was only going to tell her that William called, he wasn't expecting to really be telling her - and judging by the missed call icon flashing on the screen, she already was in trouble. That $50 was going to be his, for sure. 

When Pierre left, AJ closed the door and turned to look at Seb, somehow managing not to laugh.

With the bedside table lamp on, she could see Pierre was right - in their haste she had grabbed the faded blue Role Model tshirt and pulled it on instead of the shortsleeve purple vneck that had ' All you need is LOVE. (and coffee)' written on it that has was now wearing. 

Tossing her phone to the bed, she grabbed at the edges of the shirt she had on, and not two seconds later Seb had flipped hers over his head, holding it out.

"Switch. I can't believe we just did that. That looks good on you though...I have a couple hoodies you can have if you want them, come to think of it." 

She nodded, switching back into her own shirt and handing his his before she grabbed her phone again and began to scroll through it.

Three texts messages and a voicemail. Not that it wasn't unusual, but it had only been two days, and earlier he'd said he didn't care how long she was out. What had changed? 

_Adeline - I realize I've said I don't mind how long you stay out, but to be honest it's much too quiet with you gone and I've caught up with everything. Admittedly, I'm bored. _

_If you could, before the end of the week, come home. I realize your cousin may be enjoying your company, but there's two kinds of missing someone that I'm sure she'll understand. You are married, after all._

_I'm sorry, I'm beginning to fear I sound a little possessive at the moment. I'm just not used to you being gone, even for this few days and it's really messing with my head. I love you, just remember that._

Oh boy, he was only trying to get her to come home because he was bored. Checking the voicemail, it was the same sort of thing. 

"I'm sorry about my earlier messages, I just miss you and I know we're nearly ever apart so it's a bit of an adjustment for me. Granted, I could always just pop in to wherever you are, but there's a certain family formality rule that's breaking, so I'll refrain. Just call me tonight if you can, I just want to hear you. I love you." 

And then she deleted the message and hung up on the voicemail, staring at her phone screen.

"What's wrong?"

"It's William. Sounds like he really misses me after all, maybe that fight did get to him after all. I hate to say this, but I think I might need to go back home. He said to call him tonight, so maybe I could lie and say I'm going for coffee tomorrow with my cousin and then I'd be on my way home...that way we could get breakfast or something tomorrow morning, and still have tonight before I leave. Would that be alright?" 

"I really don't like the idea of you lying, Adel-" 

"It's _William._ If he finds out what you did to me, exactly how much I haven't thought about anything I did while I was here, you don't get it. It's literally the exact point behind Your Love Is A Lie, except in real life and he's not going to just sing or write about it and move on. The guys are right. He'll _kill_ you." 

"Oh come on, you as a wolf took over Brendon and killed him, and he was William's right hand vampire!"

"Sebastien. Listen to me. He isn't any regular vampire. He runs Chicago, has mental powers far beyond anyone else in the coven, is older than Gerard and most other vampires we know! Not to mention he's my _husband _and will gladly kill if it meant protecting me at all costs!" 

He tried not to say what was on his mind, but the way she'd said that word just bothered him - most girls would never lace it with the tone she'd used. 

"You use that word like you hate it, like it's something you'd rather altogether avoid." 

She actually glared at him. 

"The last two years, things have been rough, I'll admit. But now? With what we've gone and got ourselves into? I don't want you to die because I'm the one that doesn't know how to talk to someone. Fact is -everyone's right. I'm such a spoiled little bitch that I just - instead of talking to him about everything and how I feel, I went and started a fight for a preemptive reason to run off and start an affair. God, I'm a terrible person!" 

She blinked, tears starting to fall again, though she wasn't even trying to cry in the first place. 

"So even before all this with Amelia, you guys were-"

"Don't all marriages have problems? I didn't ask for it, but hell, it _DID _take him for-fucking-ever to actually propose to me. I'm beginning to wonder if he even wanted to in the first place. And the wedding itself - I was still so shocked and saddened about Amelia to really think about having cold feet...good thing I'm not mortal anymore, otherwise there might be little kids involved by now. It's so complicated, and now I've gone and drawn you and the guys into it...he's right, I need to come home and stop causing problems wherever I go."

She went to get up, to walk out and just go outside and clear her head, but he'd grabbed one of her hands and put the other on her shoulder, looking in her eyes, realizing the left one had turned blue again, probably due to how worked up she was over the whole thing.

"You don't cause problems wherever you go, amoureux. And you don't need to leave right away, either. You just need time to work everything out. Tell him you're leaving tomorrow and just need time to yourself for a few days, treat yourself at a spa or something before you go back to Chicago. Relax."

She smiled, leaning in to kiss him, giggling slightly. 

"What happened to you not liking the idea of me lying, hm?" she teased, lips at his jaw and she got up and scooted over to straddle him, in the back of her mind reminding herself the door wasn't locked this time. 

He looked at her and grinned. 

"I really like living, that's all."


	9. Chapter 9

"Baby, it's me. Hope I didn't interrupt anything, I know this is when you usually like to practice. I got your message earlier, but we've been out shopping and I figured I'd call when I knew you'd be able to talk. I talked to Morgan about what's all going on, and she kind of figured you were getting weird, her boyfriend gets the same way when they're apart for more than a week," AJ explained, trying to smile, anything to think about what might happen when she got home.

"_So what are your plans? Would it bother you if I said I wanted you home soon? I really do miss you, love. Our room's much too quiet and there's something about not watching you flit about the house doing daily chores that has me doing double takes everytime the house creaks."_

She giggled.

"Well, tomorrow Morgan and I were going to go get brunch at a local café out here, and then she suggested we go to the spa or something, maybe get a hotel room downtown and just enjoy the nightlife a bit, probably for a couple of nights. I'd be home right after, I promise. Two more nights, and then I'll be back in your arms, mon chere."

"_That's good to hear, I do hope you've had fun, family ties are important, cherish them while you have them, when you get to be my age everyone you love is gone, that is, of course, you turn them. It's safe to say the only person I'll ever really need will be home soon."_

'_Safe to say the only person you'll ever really need is a lying cheating literal bitch at times that's slept with your mortal enemy, but that's besides the point.' _The voice in the back of her head chided, but she ignored it.

"So yeah, I'll be home in two more nights. Don't go insane, okay? I love you, always."

"_Love you more. Goodnight, doll."_

"Goodnight."

Hanging up, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as one of the lines from an old All Time Low song rang through her head.

'_I've never told a lie, and that makes me a liar."_

"Are you okay? You just seem a li-" Seb had started to ask, walking into the bedroom before she grabbed his shirt and pulled him to her, kissing him, trying to keep from smiling because it made kissing hard when your face didn't want to stop smiling.

"I'm perfectly fine, hun. Tomorrow morning we're getting breakfast – I just need a lot of caffeine and then I'll be fine to go back home."

"Is that really your drug of choice in most situations, caffeine?"

"Have you not seen my tumblr? And no, it's not," she replied, jumping up on the bed, kneading at the pillows, almost wishing she could transform again to see exactly how crazy they could really get.

"Not when I've got you here, anyways." She smiled, putting a crooked finger to her lips, biting it just slightly, looking up at him from under her thick lashes, knowing the exact effect it would have, not expecting him to shake his head and grin.

"Not tonight, Adeline. Come on, knock it off. You've given me enough of a workout lately."

She huffed, laying down, "Well, this is new. You're the only guy that's ever been able to resist that. Ever."

He climbed in beside her and she turned around to face him, automatically scooting closer into him, sighing.

"Alright fine, I'll be good. But only 'cuz I'm leaving tomorrow. And I mean…this isn't going to be like Spring break, right? When we all just had to forget about you guys for things to go back to normal? You won't…you won't forget about me, will you?"

He froze, time seemed to rewind. Come to think of it, Amelia had sort of said the exact same thing about forgetting two days before she and the others left Chicago.

"No, of course not. After all the trouble we just got ourselves into?"

She pouted, looking at him with glassy hazel eyes, it looked like she was going to start crying.

"So this is just a game. I'm sorry I blew up at you earlier over William, I just…I really don't want you to die because I'm the stupid shallow self absorbed bitch."

"You're not a stupid shallow self absorbed bitch, Adeline."

"I haven't thought about William once since I've been here, except for how I'm going to die when I get home. I'm shallow enough that I pretty much totally took advantage of you when you were grieving over your ex-girlfriend and my best friend, and literally I'm a bitch because I grow a tail and ears when I get too emotional. Stop trying to argue, Sebastien, it's invalid."

"I'm not arguing, I'm just outright telling you it's not true." 

She blinked, giving him one of those stupid little half smiles before she kissed him.

"And this is why you're different, why you're better for me. The fact you didn't just go on a little tirade about exactly why I shouldn't be downtalking and labelling myself, just asking to get into a tête à tête over one of my insecure comments, it's nice. You just disagreed and left me to think about it."

He reached a hand up to run it through her hair, his other arm pulling the comforter over them.

"Now, what you should be thinking about is sleep, love."

Her eyes widened. 

"You realize you just said-" 

He smiled, leaning in to kiss her nose, "And I meant it, too." 

In the morning, when she finally managed to get up, she got dressed and double checked all of her stuff, making she sure had everything and would be ready to go home. She pretty much was, just not emotionally. As much as she hated to admit it, she'd had more fun the last three days than the past year.

"So, breakfast. I'm not super hungry, well -" yawning as she walked out into the living room, throwing one of those 'looks' at Seb, "For food anyways, but I could go for coffee and some sort of bakery stuff, muffins or scones sound really good."

"We should do a junk food run and just load up on that stuff, the bakeries are always open and have the freshest stuff in the morning, not to mention that's when the coffee's strongest." David said, already wondering how much he could stuff his face before he'd get yelled at.

"Actaully I was just talking about Seb and I going, seeing as I'm leaving today, but that's cool, I'm sure we could all go," AJ replied, looking at everyone, realizing when she'd said she was leaving Pierre's face broke into a huge grin.

"And why are you all smiling, huh?" 

"It'll be quiet...and I'll be rich." 

"Okay, first part - we are _not _that bad! And rich, what the hell do you mean, rich?"

David laughed as AJ walked over and set herself down ontop of Sebm who only shrugged and wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Jeff offered the person that could make you go home before tomorrow night $50, and looks like Pierre won because he's the last person you talked to, 'cuz he had to tell you William called and that's probably why you're going home."

"Really? Well then. Good for you, why don't we all go for breakfast and then you can pay?"

The entire room was quiet until Jeff started a slow clap.

"She got you there, man. And it's a good idea, of course, that's if the two of you don't mind."

This time it was Pierre that giggled, "Yeah, but you two are like a thing now, and if you go public-"

"I can turn and murder and paparrazi we run into, it's Canda, hopefully they're not as persistent as the ones in LA. And I'm gonna pretend you weren't just trying to make a twiight reference out of that, hun. It's not going to work, 'cuz this Bella's chosen Jacob over Edward."

AJ turned to look at Seb, who sighed, "Did you really just-"

She smiled, fangs visable, leaning up to kiss him soundly, only breaking apart when Chuck clered his throat to make the decision for everyone.

"Well, come on, I guess we're all going!"

"But where?"

David and Pierre looked at each other.

"Corner Bakery. Sweets, caffeine and sugar."

"Caffeine and sugar? COUNT ME IN!" And, being the klutz she was, AJ went to try to get up as fast as she could, but of course tripped over the coffee table leg.

Before she actually had time to hit anything, Sebastien had picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder, almost as though she was a small child, one arm around her waist keeping her steady.

"HEY?! You can put me DOWN! Please?" she tried, playfully hitting his back, anything trying to get him to let go.

"You just implied you being like Bella and yet instead of a papercut you go and trip over a coffee table. You're lucky you're not in Chicago, those nomads and the punks could get you before you even made it home to your front door."

"Okay, now you guys are making fun of this," she added dejectedly.

"Just stating facts, given we might have a war coming up anyways – William is sort of like Aro in a way, if you think about it." David stated.

"And the Volturi don't give second chances." Even Chuck's chimed in at this point.

AJ looks around the group, and she can't help but smile.

"Is there something you guys aren't telling me? You all seem to know a lot about that damn series…as bad as it is."

"Helps to make people get the right idea about vampires – anything _not _ in those movies is valid. For the wolves, however, it's a _completely different story._" And now Seb's in this.

"GUYS. Forget about Twilight! Can. We. Just. Go. GET. FOOD?"

"Alright, alright, geez, we're going."

When the group found the closest Corner Bakery Cafe, AJ had took off at the sight of plates full of brownies, scones and cookies in the window, David not far behind her.

"You sure this was a good idea?" Jeff asked, watching the two race inside, everyone else taking their time. 

"As long as Pierre pays like she suggested, it's cool." Seb replied, before reaching for the door to hold it open for the others, "Why'd you say that anyways?"

"What, the money thing? Come on - you _don't _think this whole thing is a little bit messed up? I get you both miss Amelia, but having AJ stay here as long as she can? When William clearly doesn't know where she is or who she's with? I'm more worried about her than I am you, I just want to make sure she's not playing you because she's in one of those moods." 

"One of those moods? Where was this conversation when Chuck and David were double teaming me when you guys found out I turned her, hey?"

"I just said don't underestimate anything. And what I'm trying to say now is that statistically, the first three years of a marriage are straight lust anyways. I mean, they've only been married for four years now, right? Chances are, she could just be getting bored, and the whole thing with Amelia just gave her a reason to come here in the first place." 

"Hate to beat you to the punchline, but we ended up having a conversation about that exact thing already, and everything's worked out fine, so-" 

"Just trying to look out for you, girls are tricky. Speaking of which, you _sure _sheshould be having caffeine? It's as bad as alcohol with the right people."

By the time all the guys got drinks and assorted food, Pierre was half-heartedly sulking.

"Oh cheer up! Your $50 bought us all breakfast, here, you want some?" AJ asked, waving half of a cheesecake brownie in the earthbender's face, which he gladly took.

"I'm really happy you guys let me stay over, Pierre I kinda know I gatecrashed your place, but…" she broke off into a lopsided grin, turning to look at Seb.

"I told William I'd be home tomorrow night. That leaves tonight yet, can I-"

"It's fine, atleast we're not bugging the rest of the guys."

After that the conversation turned to music and upcoming plans, after that sports of all things. Before long everyone had finished, and with several goodbyes it was decided AJ was just going to chill at Seb's until the next afternoon, when she'd finally go home.

Stepping into Sebastien's apartment, she gasped at how much it reminded her of the one she and William had lived in after TAI broke up and until just before the zombie crisis had hit.

"It's so…nice. And, like, cozy. Perfect for a guy like you," she added offhand, climbing up onto the countertop to sit beside the sink, the way she used to do at her old house when she was still in high school.

"You really have a thing for sitting in weird places, don't you? I mean, even in your sleep, you lay weird. All twisted and making it impossible for me to move."

She smiled, grabbing for the cookie jar right next to her, surprised to find it was actually full.

"Awh, that bugs you? I should've warned you, I'm a cuddler…"

"I've learned. So, tonight, it's up to you. I know you're probably bored to death of videogames, and I do have a few guitars here, or we could watch a few movies-"

"Scary ones that have jump scares and stupid endings so I'm clinging to you and hiding half the movie only to complain about it when it's over? Count me in!"

And with that, both were perfectly content with the night's plans, knowing movies always meant more than just watching the screen. 


	10. Chapter 10

The minute AJ got home the next afternoon (actually it was closer to dinner, being she'd lost track of time, choosing to browse the shops on Michigan Ave. before actually going home.), William had met her at the entrance to the foyer and picked her up in a hug that took her off her feet.

"What's gotten into you? You're never this happy…" she observed, confused as he set her back down, kissing her forehead.

"What, I can't be happy to see you? I know you must be tired of me after fourteen years, but come on, doll, at least I met you at the door this time," he grinned, and her eyes followed, noticing he had the pelt back over his shoulder for once.

"Why're you-" she started, grabbing for it, although he put his hand on top of hers, only to move it off the pelt itself.

"Sorry sweetie, I need this tonight. Figured we'd – _I'd_ force negotiations between the punks and thugs being as they're getting a little out of control lately, and no-one'll take me seriously anymore without this. You can have the cloak though, it's folded on top of your pillow."

She giggled.

"I love how you instinctively used plural, like we still had the boys…but seriously, babe why can't I come with you this time?"

He raised an eyebrow at the new term, she'd never once called him 'babe' in the fourteen years they'd known each other. Her cousin must have rubbed off on her, he realized, and he shrugged it off.

But then something else hit him – she didn't seem like herself, well, she did, but – her scent was completely off.

Almost like wet dog, but _wilder_.

"Adeline, when I'm gone tonight, wash up…there's something about your scent that's highly disturbing. Did your cousin have any animals?" he asked, on the offhand chance he was just thinking about it way too much.

"Well yeah, she breeds Labrador retrievers. She's got two litters at her house at the moment, and she's got the parents and then a foster dog. That's why I probably smell so revolting, I've spent the last three or four days chasing after four legged mongrels," she smiled.

"Well. See if it'll fade away, love. You've got enough scented body washes and hair stuff that'll mask it, at least for a little while. And you'll sleep in my things for the next week, which should adjust it faster."

"You _sure_ you're okay? You seem almost…paranoid about something, honey."

He sighed, pushing doubts to the back of his mind.

"I'm just worried about tonight, that's all."

She reached a hand up to ruffle his hair.

"Oh come on, you'll be fine – you took out all of Fall Out Boy by yourself a few times when you were younger, this'll be _no_ problem. Trust me."

He nodded.

"Just don't break anything while I'm gone. There's new blood in the cabinet, too, try not to drink it all in one night, I know how you get sometimes."

"I won't promise. Now go on, the sun's setting. Be safe – don't turn your back on anyone. I'll see you when you get home. And uh, try to save some energy if there's a fight tonight – I don't want you totally worn down." She teased, getting up to go walk into the kitchen.

He could only ponder her words as he opened the front door and headed out into the night.

AJ had the house to herself, and of all the things to walk in on her doing, he'd walked in on her dancing - well, it wasn't dancing really, it looked like the same sort of stuff Carden and Chislett had done on stage, being she was jumping from piece of furniture to furniture, playing air guitar with some newly-released pop-punk song going on the stereo. 

Cringing at how girly the singer sounded but not yet willing to interrupt her, he stood just out of her line of sight - where he could watch her but she couldn't see him.

"_Hey, hey darling, it's so damn hard to say goodbye_

_You know I'll try my hardest, I'll never change who I am inside_

_Try so hard and its gotta be standing in front of me_

_Clothes on the floor, and your eyes are on me_

_Tonights all we got, keep your arms right here where it should be_

_Keep 'em wrapped around me_

_Oh oh oh oh Let me remind you what you're waiting for_

_Before you go, oh oh oh oh Could you love me just a little bit more?"_

As the bridge of the song came up, he noticed while she kept playing air guitar that she actually had a pick. Instinctively he knew it wasn't his, just from a glance at the color - this one was somewhere between a regular green and a lime one, but the picks he normally used were grays and blacks. And honestly it was a little strange for him, she'd never listened to this band before going by her cousin's, and yet there was something about it that made him slightly uneasy, although this wasn't a band he knew, either. 

"_Say baby don't go, go, go I don't think I'm finished with you yet_

_Baby don't go, go, go I'll never be finished with you, no no no_

_Don't go now, baby Don't let me fall asleep alone_

_She said, 'Oh no no, baby' I can't do this on my own!"_

She happened to look in his direction and jump just as the chorus came back around, and it was here that he stepped out into the room so she could see him. Landing on the chair opposite the fireplace, she gasped and sat down, clearly startled. 

Had it been his imagination, or had her eyes flashed a different color for a second?

"Hiiii! How long have you been there for?" she asked, smiling like she'd just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Long enough to be surprised you haven't hurt yourself yet, dear. What's with the new music?" he asked, walking over to pick her up and then sit back down, she perched on him like the little kid that always has to be close to their favorite parent. 

"Morgan showed me these guys when we were shopping, they're called Sleeping With Sirens. I know the lead singer sounds kinda like a girl, but I really like the music, I kinda just ignore his voice." she explained. 

"And I thought you wanted me home early? I mean, I'm home and then you go out tonight?" 

"Just wanted to flip the tables for a night. So you can see exactly how big and lonely it really is here when you're alone, considering the boys aren't around." 

"Oh. Yeah, I get it." she tossed the pick she was holding up, intending to catch it, but he was faster. 

"Where'd you get this, hm? It's neat looking," William said, turning it over in his palm. 

It was a thicker pick, meant for someone that played guitar a lot. The back had two lizards in a sort of yin and yang pattern, 'planet wave' written between it. Flipping it over, he immediately recognized the logo, two starts on either side of a circle with a sort of stenciled SP in the middle. The name that had been added in cursive beneath the logo only made him look at her, wondering exactly how the hell she'd got it.

"Adeline, mind telling me exactly _how _you managed to get ahold of that _mutt's _guitar pick?"

Her eyes widened and she inhaled quickly, like she was trying to think of what to say.

"It was Morgan's. She goes to their shows everytime they play her city, and she's got a decent collection of stuff - picks, tshirts, setlists - she even showed me this really beat up drumstick she managed to catch when Chuck threw it out into the crowd!"

He looked at her for a few seconds, there was something wrong in how fast she'd replied, coupled with the way she'd smelled earlier, although whatever she had used in the shower had fixed some of it.

"Well. I wouldn't want you to lose it, you should keep it somewhere safe, don't use it much." 

She smiled, lifting a head to playfully flick his nose before she kissed his forehead.

"Aw, someone's jealous. It's just a guitar pick, but it's bugging you that much, I'll forget about it. Now come on, it's late," she added, glancing at the clock that hung on the opposite wall, "And I've missed you...and about the little argument about Amelia - I'm sorry, I really overreacted, those few days with my cousin helped me see that, although I didn't tell her any of the stuff with my best friend coming back from the dead. And I mean, I'm apologizing, you know what that means, especially after a fight like that." 

If it had been maybe three years earlier, his crooked smile would have sent her running upstairs, stripping clothing as she went to dive under the covers and wait, but now, it only made her giggle and get up, turning to look at him. 

"Yeah, you do. Come on sweetheart, let's go make up." 

He watched her walk, mind spinning. First the thought that her eyes may have changed color - for a moment they seemed to flash bright blue, and then to see she had one of _his _picks?

"But wait- Adeline what fight? And Amelia was over? Honey, she's been dead for four years now, the dead can't come back to life."

She turned around on the spot, cocking her head to the side, foot in mid step up the stairs.

"William, you saw her with your own eyes. We had tea with her, caught up on old times – she explained she was alive through a magic trick, remember?"

He shook his head, "You sure _you _weren't imagining it? That your grief is still driving you insane? You don't remember those nights during the honeymoon when you'd just break down in my arms after waking up of a nightmare, reliving the day she died, but I sure do. Maybe you just repressed it all and it's coming back."

She sighed, "I'm NOT imagining things, William. SHE WAS OVER, whether you remember or not. Maybe we're all insane; maybe none of what we are is real. That's a concept, hey? I just want to know something's real!"

He grinned, crossing the floor in seconds, enough to be even on the stairs with her, chocolate gaze burning into her own, hands above her shoulders, trapping her against the wall, lust and mild anger clouding her irises.

"I'll show you what's real." 

Melting into the kiss that followed, AJ mentally rolled her eyes.

_Damn him for knowing exactly how to fix her moods. Good thing he hadn't noticed the steak container in the trash, 'cuz it seemed that although she was a vampire, she'd developed a taste for rare meat, and, with a grin, she realized exactly why that'd happened._


	11. Chapter 11

"_I fall asleep by the telephone It's 2 O'clock and I'm waiting up alone_

_Tell me where have you been?_

_I found a note with another name You blow a kiss, but it just don't feel the same_

_Cause I can feel that you're gone_

_I can't bite my tongue forever While you try to play it cool_

_You can hide behind your stories But don't take me for a fool__…"_

AJ sat in the parlor with one of William's guitars, playing one of the songs Sebastien had taught her when she was over. Completely lost in thought playing, she was startled when William walked in and interrupted her.

"Doll, put that guitar away…come on, there's a few things I want to show you," he starts, and she looks up, dropping the pick in the guitar, sighing after in defeat.

"Oh. Alright." She smiles, getting up and putting on guitar on its stand, humming the chorus of 'Your Love Is A Lie' as she did so. She failed to notice William's half smirk; this only confirmed what he'd been thinking.

When the two climb the stairs to their bedroom, AJ has half the mind to ask exactly why they're going upstairs.

"I realized you've been reading that series a little too much lately, so I figured. Might as well give you want you want."

"Not like Spring break in your office, right?" she giggled, remembering how he'd reacted to her reading the book.

"Eh, I wouldn't quite say that, but well…close your eyes."

And when she does, she's totally unprepared for what he's done. AJ can only blink, trying to smile, realizing it was akin to a scenario from the book, being her wrists were bound at the headboard and she had another bandana tied around her mouth, keeping her from talking. She rolled her eyes, thinking through her words, knowing he'd hear her all the same.

"I'm sorry...I know how much you hate when I don't listen...but you're fun when you're mad...dangerous." she tried, although she knew it was nothing like something Ana would have said.

A telekinetic burst of speech in her head protested this in reaction to prove her point, "You have no idea how dangerous I can be!"

She immediate tenses, pulling against her restraints to no avail, knowing this isn't solely meant for pain.

"Feel it? Feel how powerless you are?!" Seconds later, he's straddling her, and with no warning, he bites her neck hard, drawing a lot of blood. She lets out a squeal as it cascades onto the sheets.

Her breathing is shallow at this point, she trying to just give in to the warrants of whatever he was planning; if she were still human she most surely would have passed out.

"I-I'm cold...and these were new pajamas...and sheets...you don't need to be so rough."

At the last added statement, William gives her a stare as cold as the darkest of nights, "Did I say you could talk?"

She smirks past the gag, almost in defiance. This causes him to squeeze her throat, causing the blood gush further, even as she continues to try and talk "-But technically, darling, this isn't talking. Not really. Loophole. Still a step ahead of you."

"I didn't ask for backtalk either..." Before she can reply to this, his lips have lowered to a different spot on her necks and fangs have sunk in.

Her head twitches slightly as he drinks, knowing the amount of her blood already lost will leave her dizzy in the morning. 'B-baby...I still want to be conscious tonight...so you really don't fuck with me and I know what's happening...'

Realizing there's no point in fighting him, Adeline lays still and allows him to drink, counting seconds and wishing the dull throb in the back of her head would go away, although if she really wanted to, she could phase again and probably free herself.

He pays her no notice, no longer focusing on anything but his feast. He starts to actively suck the blood out of her, and then he realizes – her blood tastes different.

There's an underlying pang of something he's never tasted before, so much so that he can't wrap his head around. It's a woodsy, sweet sort of burn, sort of like eating maple sugar candy that had been spiked with cinnamon.

And then the events of the last month or so hit him – AJ being gone, she not exactly talking about where she had gone in the first place. The fact that she'd been playing so much other stuff on guitar. And now, blood tasting a little more savory like cinnamon maple syrup than however flowery and sweet her blood had been before. It had all began to make sense, and when it finally did, he snapped.

Sensing that his prey will not fight, William begins to transform. Within moments it becomes apparent that he has started to morph into the physical demonic state that had previously only been seen mentally when Amelia was around. He has lost control this time, and this time it's not just a stupid attempt to play as something poorly-written book character.

When it finally hits her that he knows, everything seems worse. Of course, her only explanation for him being this rough is because he's mad at her for something – but this time he's not just mad.

She's shaking, barely able to keep herself still as she pleads frantically for him to stop, knowing that there's a good chance the demon side of him could kill her.

'B-baby...St-stop..stop! I can't- I'm gonna pass out, I'm so dizzy...STOP!' tears are streaming down her face, but he's too lost in another form to notice.

William is about to snap her in half with his now clawed hands. How easy it would be...at the simple flex of a muscle, he will end her. At the last moment of indecision, he sees her tears.

The demon isn't able to comprehend the seemingly mortal notion of tears, of fear, of pain. It is due to this that Orion cedes control back to William, who immediately stops in fear of thinking he's already done something too late to take back.

His mind is a flurry of questions. What has he done, or worse, what could he have done? Better yet, about AJ. He knew she was shocked about Amelia, but what would drive her to run to them? Well, more accurately, him? Still in shock, he undoes all of the bindings and the bandanna from around her mouth, holding her, desperately trying to snap her out of the state she's fallen into.

"Adeline...Adeline, please..."

She can barely open her eyes, and can do nothing but whimper for a good minute before she actually says anything.

"W-William...d-don't ever d-do th-that a-again...you really...really scared me! And w-why…I don't…you look so confused…"

He can't even find the words to say, there's so much running around in his head. The only thing he can say, much to her horror is a simple "I know."


	12. Chapter 12

It was a bright sunny day and Illshya was sitting in one of Chicago's many cafes. She was plotting various ways to ruin her current host's life. She was pulled out of her thoughts when someone sat down across from her.

"You're far too quiet, sister. That usually means that you're up to no good," said Orion as he slid into the seat across from her.

"You're right, brother. I'm plotting as usual. What brings you here?" she asked as she bit into a cupcake

"I just thought I would give you an interesting piece of information. It seems that the girl, AJ, recently went to visit the Canadians in Montreal," Orion began.

"And?"

"And, it seems that she became enamoured with the Lycan, the one that your current host was involved with."

Illshya's eyes lit up with delight.

"That _is_ a very interesting piece of information indeed. Thank you, brother. I'll be seeing you, then. It looks like I'll be travelling to Canada for a few days," Illshya replied as she stood up to walk out of the cafe.

All Orion could do was smirk as his sister left the cafe.

As Orion watched Illshya leave, he realized the information could also be used to his advantage. Knowing how confused and angry the entire situation had made William was going to work out great, if he wanted to make the vampire deal with it the demon could make sure he was pissing off William's wife while he was at it.

Grabbing his phone, he texted the girl, intending to play the same game she had when she left for Canada without telling.

'_I'm going to be gone for a few days, love, something came up.'_

The phone buzzed as he went to get up, smiling at the mess he was getting the two vampires, well, vampire and hybrid; into.

'_I get it, you're mad with what I did with Sebastien. You don't need to go and disappear too. We can work through this, I'm sure we can. We've been through worse before!'_

As he was replying, another text came through from her, '_Look at it this way, it could have been Carden.'_

Orion smiled, remembering how William had maintained a sense of complete distrust for one of his sires after everything the younger vampire had put AJ through, reaching a high when he'd tried to change who her heart belonged to.

'_Atleast then you'd still be a vampire. You know how I feel about lycans, they've no place being called supernatural beings, they're of a much lower class than ourselves.'_

Her reply was instant, and he could tell he'd made her mad.

'_You know what? FINE. Go wherever, don't expect me to call or anything. I might be mad, but I still love you. Just don't do anything stupid.'_

Orion's eyes widened at reading the apology, she hadn't even started it and yet she felt sorry.

'_Like what, sleep with Amelia behind your back? Adeline, that's the only thing that could possibly make you feel anything close to what I'm going through!'_

'_That's NOT FUNNY! GO TO HELL!'_

His smiled widened, and he laughed slightly.

'_Does that mean you __don't __love me?'_

'_FUCK OFF!'_

He tried to call her after that, intending to alter his voice to sound like William so had could apologize, but she had turned off her phone.

Meaning she wouldn't care what he did, or at least, didn't care if she knew what was going on.

Walking out of the small cafe, Orion smiled, subconsciously leaving directions for William to take once he had control again, most of this done by notes written into the notepad on his phone.

It was time he paid the Canadians a visit.

Illshya went outside and ducked down into an alley. Once she was completely cloaked in shadows, she was able to travel back to Montreal in the blink of an eye. She opened her eyes and found herself in an alleyway in downtown Montreal. She stepped out of the alley and walked around downtown. She ducked inside of a book store where she found a group of teenagers congregating around a poster. On the poster, she recognized the five Canadians from Amelia's memory. To Illshya's luck, they were set to play a show in two days time at a local venue. She smiled to herself. Revenge was going to be fun.

She scoped out the city and the venue where the show would be and then she laid low. On the day of the concert, she went to the store and bought some new clothes, a fitted black blazer and a pair of heeled boots. She tousled her hair in a way that she knew the Lycan would appreciate and then she even found a magic store and bought a simple trick so that she could add to the credibility of her illusion. As the sun began to set, she went to the venue and, using demonic magic, snuck her way into the venue. She took a spot near the front of the venue. She endured through the two opening acts before Simple Plan finally took the stage. Though most kinds of human interaction bored her, she was excited at the havoc she would cause after the show. Twice, she made eye contact with the Lycan guitar player, who pretended as though he didn't see her. The show itself was tolerable. Once the show was over, the crowd cleared out rather quickly. She assumed that the band would be signing autographs eventually, so now was her opportunity to put her plan into action. She readied herself and slipped backstage, using a couple different enchantments to distract security personnel that came her way. Soon, she heard the sound of voices and she knew she was getting close. She saw the door to the dressing room was slightly ajar, so she walked up to the door, knocked twice, and then walked in the room.

The moment that she entered the room, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her, mouths open in shock.

"Hey guys, great show," she said, altering her voice so that it sounded like more like Amelia's voice.

No one spoke at first. Sebastien crossed the room and stood in front of her.

"Is it really you?" he asked, stroking her face with his thumb gently

"Yeah Seb, it's me," she replied, smiling.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, there are two reasons. I first wanted to apologize for how I acted when I saw you and Chuck at the open air market. I lied to you guys because I was scared. I didn't know how you guys would react to seeing me after four years," she started, moving away from Seb and looking at the other four guys in the room. She turned away from all of them.

"What's the other reason?" Seb said, moving towards her again

Amelia took a deep breath. "I know what happened between you and AJ."

From the reflection in the mirror in front of her, she could see Seb's face pale as he immediately began to sputter out apologies. She held up her hand for silence.

"Even though I'm disappointed in you, I forgive you. I've missed you so much that I'm willing to forgive you," she said as she turned around and embraced Seb, who had no choice but to hug her back.

Chuck, Jeff, Pierre, and David were all looking at her strangely. Something wasn't right.

"Hey, I learned a new magic trick! Want to see?" she said, looking at the other four

"Sure, why not?" Chuck asked, walking closer to her

"Yeah, you can show us," Jeff added.

"Wait, where's David?" Amelia asked

"He went to the bathroom. He'll be right back. You can show us. It's fine," Pierre said.

She performed the trick, but something still wasn't right. The five of them then excused themselves, saying that they needed to go sign autographs. Amelia promised she would wait for them here. Jeff pretty much had to drag Seb out of the room.

"I don't trust her," Chuck said, once they were out of earshot.

Seb turned to look at him like he was crazy. "What are you talking about? It's Amelia. You remember? Your Waterbending protege?"

Chuck shook his head. "I don't know, man. Something just doesn't seem right."

"Chuck's right. Something just feels off," Pierre agreed.

They didn't have any more time for discussion because they had arrived at the signing. Afterwards, they returned back to the room and Amelia was still there, sitting on the couch.

"Hey guys. How was the signing?" she asked

"It was fine. Say Amelia, where have you been for the last four years? Why didn't you choose to come back sooner?" Pierre asked

She shrugged. "I wanted to go out and explore the world. Live a little, you know?"

"Yeah, but the least you could do is send us a postcard or something! You could have saved us a lot of heartbreak, you know?" Chuck asked

Again, she shrugged, but she didn't say anything. She stood up and stretched her arms over her head. When she did, David came up behind her and grabbed one of her wrists firmly.

"David, what are you doing?" she asked

He didn't say anything. Instead, he opened his mouth and bit down on Amelia's wrist. After a moment, he removed his fangs and licked the blood from his mouth.

"It's just like I thought! Your blood doesn't even taste human! It tastes evil. And the memories I saw...those weren't even Amelia's memories! Who are you?" he exclaimed as he took a fighting stance

"David, what the hell has gotten into you?" Seb wondered

"He's right, you know. I'm not human, and I haven't been for a long time," Amelia said, smirking. "I'd say it's been fun, but it really hasn't. I must be going now. See you later, boys."

She turned and tried to leave. Before she could, a concrete brick whizzed past her ear. She didn't even flinch. Instead she turned to face Pierre. He, Jeff, and Chuck had also struck fighting poses.

"Please, you really think you're going to stop me from leaving? Don't make me laugh."

With that, the fight was on! The three element benders worked in unison to try and subdue Illshya. Jeff had his hands full as he tried to keep Seb from getting in the middle of everything.

"How absolutely pitiful," she remarked as she dodged a stream of water from Chuck.

Easily sidestepping Pierre, she went for David, who was using Airbending to try and evade her. She was able to keep up with him perfectly. In the moment that he took to try and gather energy for his next attack, she summoned a burst of hellfire that knocked David back a couple of steps. She uttered a word in an ancient demon language which created a forcefield of energy around her, allowing her to block Pierre and Chuck's attacks. Eventually, this grew quite boring for Illshya, so she allowed herself to be captured. Chuck had frozen one of her feet to the floor, which gave Jeff ample time to restrain her so that they could take her back to Pierre's place. The six of them left in silence.

When they got back to Pierre's place, they locked the door and Jeff released his hold on her.

"Just who the hell are you and what have you done with Amelia?" Seb asked

After seeing her fight, he knew that it wasn't really Amelia.

All Illshya could do was smirk from her position on the couch. Chuck was using bloodbending to make sure that she couldn't move.

"Where is she?" Seb asked

Illshya didn't say anything. She only smirked, which made Sebastien even angrier.

"ANSWER ME!" he yelled, baring his teeth

"Nuh uh, what's the magic word?" she replied

Sebastien leapt forward like he was going to attack her. Jeff had to physically restrain him.

"I don't know what kind of sick game you're playing, but you'd better start talking, or else, I'm going to let my friend here have his way with you, and trust me, you won't like how he'll treat you," Jeff said, still working on keeping Sebastien from tearing her limb from limb.

"Go ahead. I could easily beat that puppy into submission. Besides, I am much older and much stronger than all of you combined. I can hold out a lot longer than you guys can maintain your tough guy act."

"Just tell us where Amelia is. That's all we want to know. If you tell us, we'll let you go. It's that simple," Chuck said from his spot next to her.

"Well, if you really want to know where Amelia is, why don't you ask the Earthbender over there? He's the one that killed her!"

Seb managed to wrestle himself out of Jeff's grasp and he clawed Illshya's face, leaving blood streak down her cheeks. All she could do was smile as the blood dripped down her face. Soon enough, she allowed the host body to heal itself, leaving no evidence of the wounds. Before she could say anything though, there was a knock at the door. Confused, Pierre went to answer the door. On the other side of the door, he found William Beckett and he did not look too happy.


	13. Chapter 13

"William? What are you doing here?" Pierre asked

"I was hoping Sebastien would be here. I need to talk to him about something," William replied.

"Um, yeah, he's right here. Come on in," Pierre said, opening the door so William could enter.

The moment he stepped across the threshold and spotted Sebastien, he grabbed him by the throat and slammed him up against the wall.

"William, what the hell is going on?!" Sebastien demanded as he struggled to free himself

"Oh gee, I don't know, Sebastien. Why don't you tell me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why don't you tell me why Adeline has suddenly taken such an interest in your band? Tell me why, when she first came home, she absolutely reeked like a Lycan. And why her blood tastes different, like it's been _infected."_

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Don't lie to me!"

At that point, Jeff got up and wrenched William away from Seb. William hissed at him and threw a punch, which Jeff easily caught. William then crouched low and swept Jeff's legs out from under him. Before he could do anything, Pierre and David both attacked with their respective elements. Even Chuck got up and joined in the fray. It was an all out war as they tried to subdue the angry vampire. In their haste, no one paid attention to Illshya.

Using a rather strong burst of telekinesis, William was able to send the five of them slamming back into the walls. Before he could finish them off, Illshya stood up and spoke.

"Really, brother? Must you go through with all of the theatrics? It seems absurd, if you ask me."

William's face contorted in confusion, but then it smoothed out into a smirk.

"Yes, sister, I did think the theatrics were necessary. I had to make it believable."

"Brother? Sister? What the hell? Who the hell are you?" Pierre asked as he sat up

Illshya smiled. "Continue sitting, vampire, and I shall regale you with a tale."

"Sister, do you think it wise we reveal our plan to the likes of them?" Orion asked

"I do. They were bound to find out sooner or later. Besides, there is nothing they can do to stop us," Illshya said as she turned to face everyone.

"By now, you've obviously realized that I am not your companion Amelia, though I share her face. My name is Illshya and I am a demon. I am the demoness of Hell. I control all aspects of darkness and force them to do my bidding. In the form of the vampire William Beckett is my brother, Orion, the demon of the sky," she began.

"So do you have a physical form?" Chuck asked

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, I do not. Demons such as my brother and I have not had physical forms for many millennia."

Almost as if sensing Chuck's next question as he opened his mouth, she continued. "Because of that, we have to possess a host. As it happened four years ago, my former host body was dying and I needed to find a replacement. It just so happened that your friend here was who I found. Because she was recently dead, it was very easy to possess her body."

"Do you possess only dead bodies?" David wondered

"No, Airbender, we do not. It is only easier to possess the body of someone or something that is dead because the dead lack a soul. We have the ability to possess the living, but it requires more energy."

"So, when you posed as Amelia at the show tonight, do you still have access to her memories?" Jeff asked

Illshya nodded. "Yes, I can access all of her memories should the need arise. However, the Amelia that you all knew, and in the case of another, loved," she said, looking at Sebastien, "no longer exists. Her body is now nothing more than a vessel for my soul."

"So you killed her?" Sebastien accused, growing angry

"Calm yourself, Lycan. The girl was already dead and her spirit was dying as well. "

Before Sebastien could say something else, Chuck spoke up again. "Okay, so why is Beckett a demon? I thought he was a vampire."

Illshya looked at Orion, who had been silent the whole time.

"William Beckett is still very much a vampire. He doesn't have a soul, which made it easy for me to possess the body, however, he does not know that he is the host of a demon. I am operating at a level below his consciousness. So long as I am in control, he has no recollection of any events that take place. I believe it is similar as to what happens when humans 'black out' after consuming too much alcohol. As for the reason why this happened, I believe it better that my sister explain," Orion said.

Everyone turned to look at Illshya, though it was difficult to do because she looked like Amelia.

"I must go very far back in time if I am to tell this story. Long ago, long before the first human or animal walked the earth, the world was ruled by demons. There were 12 of us, including my brother and myself. Each of the demons had a specific place where they reigned. It just so happened that my place was in what it is now Chicago. It is where the entrance to the Underworld used to be. After the Great War between the demons, many of us were hunted and executed. I fled to the Underworld to keep myself safe and I closed the portal between our world and the Underworld. When I returned after many millennia in the Underworld, I saw that the world had changed. Demons could no longer exist in their true physical forms and thus had to possess a host body. When I went to see what became of my old kingdom, it was gone, invaded by Native American settlers. I traveled around the world for a long time, searching for a purpose. In the 1700s in France, I met a young vampire named William Beckett. He had recently separated from his sire and was in trouble with local demons. I struck a deal with him. In exchange for my protection from these lesser demons, he was to swear to me his undying loyalty. It all went well until about 1845. That was the year that William Beckett first rose to power in Chicago. Knowing that he was under my protection, he used it to his advantage and slaughtered any and all competition, leaving himself to claim the city. After that, he decided that he no longer needed my protection, so he double crossed me and murdered my host body. He then tried to seal away my power, but a vampire as young as him couldn't do that, not to a demon as old as time itself. As he left my host body bleeding and dying in the street, I vowed to make the rest of his life a living hell. 'Rue the day that you double cross the demoness of Hell. May the rest of your immortal life and the lives of those around you be cursed ,' I told him. Once I had found another host, I informed my brother, who then possessed William's body. The demon inside of him has been dormant for so long, waiting for the perfect time to fully enact my revenge. It just happened that when I found your friend's body, I saw that she had a connection with Beckett. This gave me the perfect opportunity to take my revenge, which explains why I have been messing with you, pretending to be your dead friend. The anguish you have exhibited gives me pleasure, but nothing will compare to what I have in store for Beckett," the demon finished, smiling.

"So why tell us all of this? Now we know what you're up to," Pierre said.

"That is inconsequential to me. There is nothing you can do to stop me. My vengeance shall finally be born!"

"That's what you think!" Sebastien declared as he got up from his spot on the floor. He rushed at Illshya with the intent of destroying her.

"Foolish Lycan!"

She easily caught his fist when he tried to throw a punch. Before he could do anything else, Ilshya began reciting an ancient curse. It was one she had not used in a long time. She then struck out with a clawed hand, nails raking against Sebastien's chest. It left a bloody wound in its wake. He howled in pain and collapsed to the ground. His friends immediately rallied around him.

"Come brother, let us leave them for the time being," Illshya said as she opened up a dimensional portal.

She stepped through the portal and Orion followed, leaving the five friends in disbelief as to what had just happened.

The first thing that Chuck did was to try and heal the wounds with Waterbending as Sebastien lay on the ground, whimpering. To his surprise, the water had no effect. In fact, the water seemed to be repelled by the wounds. Whatever kind of magic the demon had harmed Sebastien with, Chuck wasn't going to be able to heal him by himself.

"Pierre, call Bob. I'm going to need his help in healing this," Chuck said as he worked to at least control the bleeding.

Pierre called Bob, who was there within minutes.

He knelt down by Sebastien and began to inspect the wounds.

"Okay, so tell me again what happened."

Chuck recounted everything that had happened to them, from the show to the two demons.

Bob frowned.

"Shit. Whatever this demon hit him with, it's extremely ancient and extremely dark magic."

"So you can't help him?" David asked

"I didn't say that. I just won't be able to heal him by myself. I've only seen magic of this caliber once or twice and it's going to take a lot to try and heal him. This magic is like poison. It's currently circulating through his blood and it's killing him, most likely by literally rotting his body from the inside out. See how it's already starting to destroy the skin around the wound? I'm going to need to work quickly, but I'm going to need help. Andy is out of town right now. You guys wouldn't happen to know any wizards, would you?" Bob said as he took a knife from his pocket and cut away the fabric surrounding the wounds.

"Well, our friend Patrick owns an apothecary. He probably could - " Chuck started. 

"Good, call him up and then give me the phone," Bob interrupted as he started to rack his brain for all of the ingredients he would need. 

Chuck pulled out his phone and dialed Patrick's number and then gave Bob the phone. Without so much as explaining the situation other than Sebastien was dying, Bob began rattling off a list of complex and foreign sounding ingredients to Patrick, who promised he would be there in minutes. 

True to his word, in a few moments, a small 'pop' issued from the center of the room and there stood Patrick Langlois, a friend of the guys. He had a small bag in his hand. 

"Holy shit guys, what happened?" he asked the moment that he saw Sebastien 

"Basically, we ran into some demons and one of them cursed Seb," Chuck said as Patrick knelt next to Bob and Seb and began taking ingredients out of his bag. 

"Hi, I'm Bob. Anyway, I need you to try and see if you can preserve the surrounding skin around the wounds. These wounds are cursed and whatever poison is currently flowing through Seb's veins, it's highly caustic," Bob said as he began looking through the remedies that Patrick had brought. 

"Well, shouldn't you try and get the poison out of his blood?" Patrick asked 

"I thought about that, but I don't know if there is anything that can do that. If there was only a small amount of poison, I would have probably suggested that Pierre or David suck the poison out, but there's too much poison to do that. Also, Chuck said that this poison came from a demonic curse. I don't have a lot of experience with that kind of magic. Right now, all we can do is focus on keeping Seb alive. That being said, do you have the Drought of Living Death?" 

Patrick nodded and handed Bob a small bottle with a clear liquid in it. 

David laughed nervously. "Didn't you just say you wanted to keep Seb alive?"

"Yes, but this is just a precaution. This is a very powerful sleeping potion that will pretty much paralyze his body and slow his heart rate down to where he is almost dead. It will be easier to work if the poison isn't being spread throughout his body even more. I assume you also have the remedy?" Bob asked, looking at Patrick.

Patrick nodded and handed Bob another bottle. Bob slowly lifted up Sebastien's head and poured a small amount of the clear potion down Seb's throat. Almost at once, both Pierre and David could hear Seb's heartbeat slow down to only a few beats per minute. 

"We have to work quickly because we don't want his heart to actually stop," Bob reminded Patrick as he put some gauze soaked with various smelling potions on the skin surrounding the wound. It seemed to soothe the skin.

Bob, meanwhile, was trying every healing spell and countercurse that he possibly knew, but nothing seemed to be working and he was getting frustrated. He turned to look at Chuck as a last resort.

"Hey Chuck you know how you're able to manipulate the water present in blood plasma in order to use bloodbending?" he asked. Chuck nodded. 

"Do you think that you'd be able to use that to, I don't even know, draw the poison out of the wounds? Like, do you think you'd be able to separate the poison from his blood?" Bob asked, knowing it was a bit of a stretch 

Chuck shrugged. "I'm not sure. I've never tried anything like that, but I can certainly give it a shot."

He walked over to Sebastien and knelt down. He moved his hands above Seb's chest, trying to get a feel for manipulating the blood. As he moved the liquid, he found that he could sense something else there, something dark and evil. His brow furrowed in confusion. He had never felt anything like that before. He began to move his hands more, starting at Seb's toes and then moving upwards slowly. As he approached the claw marks, he noticed that a black substance began to ooze out of the claw marks.

Bob breathed a sigh of relief. It had worked. He instructed Chuck to place the poison in a steel box he had conjured and he promised he would get rid of it later. It took a few more tries before Bob was convinced that the poison was gone. Just to be sure, he had Pierre taste Sebastien's blood and he wasn't able to taste anything out of the ordinary. Patrick and Bob then tried to heal the actual wounds and while they were able to close the wounds, Bob knew that even with Dittany, there would still be scars.

"See, these wounds were made by extremely dark magic. With magic of that caliber, those wounds are definitely cursed and there's no magic, at least none that I know of, that can heal that," Bob explained after he had administered the antidote to the Draught of Living Death. After Sebastien had regained consciousness, they sent him to one of the spare rooms so that he could rest. 


	14. Chapter 14

When everything calmed down some and the boys managed to let Sebastien rest in one of the spare bedrooms, everyone figured they could talk about the demon situation with no interruptions.

That's until the doorbell rang.

"Who the hell could that be? Patrick's already here, and there's not that many people we hang out with..." Jeff wondered, going to open the door.

He didn't expect to find an absolutely hysterical AJ on the other side of the door, clutching a photo album as tightly as she could, as though her life depended on it.

He could tell from the makeup that she had on that she was covering bruises, the vampire's usually dark circles under her eyes were even darker now, although the pale foundation tried to blend against that fact.

"Adeline...what's gotten into you? You just look like-" he started, but she walked right past him, looking for somebody else.

Looking around the room, she sniffled and wiped at her puffy eyes, tossing the photo album to an unoccupied spot of furniture.

"Wh-where's Seb? I...I need to t-talk to h-him."

The guys all exchanged glances before Chuck walked forward and put a hand on her shoulder.

"AJ, why don't you sit down, okay? I know you're not going to want to hear this, but Amelia isn't Amelia - she's a demon, who showed up at our show tonight." he started, guiding her to a chair that she all but collapsed into.

"Don't even talk to me about demons...I've never...it's...I don't know him anymore...I just...four years we've been married and I just..." she trailed off, trying to keep from crying again.

"What happened? Can't be worse than what happened to Sebastien," Patrick chimed in, realizing he didn't actually know the girl that had just walked in.

"Who you thought was Amelia had only been his lover, and even then I don't think she really cared as to which front she put up. I just. Things with her are bad enough, but - William's not William, either. I've never seen him this mad over me just being gone a few days. He came home unexpectedly after saying he'd be gone for a few days, and just. He's NEVER like that! Or atleast, the real one isn't." 

"He's a demon too, we learned that the hard way. Is that way you're crying? Did he-" 

"He's a Dandie at heart - a gentleman. They're taught never to take out anger or negative emotion towards a lady. Whoever came home today instead of him clearly didn't have those same values. I got tossed around a bit," she admitted, trying to smile.

"How much is a bi-" David started, before she shrugged, "If I take off my makeup and get in the shower, you'll see how much fun a demon thinks they can have with a vampire. I've been told most of the marks won't heal just because they're inflicted by a demon, Orion, or so he calls himself, wanted to make sure I was miserable. Right before he left, he said something about Seb, which is why I raced over here. I grabbed the photo album to remind me of the good times - it's got concert photos of you guys, TAI and MCR, and then some shots of Amelia and I as kids...but please tell me he's okay..."

"Well, sounds like you kind of know what's going on - like you, the demon that took Amelia's form decided to start a fight, and...well, she hurt him pretty badly. He's not dead, but he's resting, it's best we let him. Like you said, it doesn't look like the scar left from the wound is going to heal correctly, meaning it won't fade, even with an experienced waterbender like myself working with them," Chuck explained, before Bob cut in from across the room.

"So you said there were demons, you didn't say one had taken the form of William Beckett." he stated, resentment evident in his tone.

"Demons are demons that need to assume corporeal forms, what does it matter whose appearance they take?" David asked, confused. 

"Because when a demon possess a body, they gain the ability to control the unconscious mind of their host and can even drive them to doing things they wouldn't normally do. In many cases, the host appears to 'black-out' and will not remember the demon having manipulated their emotions and actions."

"Yeah, that's what the one that looked like Amelia said, about the blacking out."

"NO!" AJ cried suddenly, clamping her hands over her ears, finding everything suddenly too difficult to deal with.

"What's wrong with-"

"No. No. That CAN'T be why! It CAN'T!" she continued, adjusting how she sat, curling herself up as best she could, head ready to explode.

"He..he...about a week after I got home from being over here, William just...I could tell things were different...and you know, long nights usually are fine and lovely and all, but this time - he...I saw a side of him I never wanna see again. He's never taken _that _much blood before, and he usually knows when rough is too rough. But with what you just said...it wasn't him doing that, it was the demon! No wonder he looked so confused when I laid there just clinging to him...and if you don't mind, if you'd let me, I'd like to go see him. Please?" she asked, and all of the guys looked at each other, shrugging. 

"Just don't stress him out." 

She nodded, taking off to the room one of the guys had pointed towards, the conversation about demons being resumed in her wake. 

Tiptoeing into the room and shutting the door behind her, she inwardly sighed – to think doing this same thing after the movie a month ago had led to all the trouble they were in now.

He seemed to be sleeping, and as much as she knew she'd probably wake him up if she did what she was going to do, she didn't care.

Climbing into the bed, she tried to be quick; and weaseling herself into his arms, she managed to get comfortable.

Feeling accomplished, she grinned, and then yelped as his arms moved to pull her closer; his lips moving to her ear, lightly biting at it, being careful to avoid her cartilage piercing.

"Mhm, what happened to you resting? The guys said that demon did a number on you…"

He laughed, warm breath against her skin, she tilted her head back to rub her hair against his face, giggling.

"And she did, too. Turn around, get a good look. It'll never fade away."

She turned in his arms, sitting up as he pulled the covers back, one hand reaching to turn on the side table lamp.

Seeing the scars, she gasped – they were nothing but jagged claws marks across his chest, although the initial wounds had healed.

"How'd- why'd-that's not-" she stumbled, unsure of what to say until he took one of her hands and lifted it, setting her fingertips against the marred skin, letting the tender moment be to allow them to bond further.

She exhaled, collapsing into him, tears starting to fall at the realization she probably was lucky to be seeing him at all.

"Hey…hey…I'm okay, sweetheart. I'm fine, really. Just look a little different now, it doesn't hurt or anything!" 

"Y-yeah b-but…it just means we're the lucky ones…" she sniffled, sitting back up to pull her shirt off, knowing exactly what he'd pay attention to.

The taupe lace adorned aerie bra she wore didn't even register as her looked at her – it was the deep bruises decorating her skin that did.

Her shoulders and abdomen were covered with them, and her sides were scratched up, bite marks here and there.

She shuddered, pulling her shirt back on.

"See? It's not just you…William's got a demon, I learned that the hard way. That's why I'm like this – I have more makeup on my face to hide the black eyes then I've ever had before, even counting dances."

Sebastien sighed, motioning for her to lie down again.

"We'll be okay, there's _got _to be a way to get rid of them. Tonight, once I feel like I can move again – we'll get you in the shower, clean you up. I know time is what heals bruises best, but maybe if you feed from me that'd speed it up."

Her eyes widened, not once had she thought of drinking his blood, she hadn't even thought of biting him.

"I can't- that'd be- you just can't drink my blood, otherwise we're both turned. And I mean, yeah, that shower sounds alright…but only if you join me this time," she added with a crooked smile.

He rolled his eyes.

"Oh hush. And yeah – why not?"

She twisted in his arms to kiss him, one hand resting against the scars, knowing that no matter how he looked, it wouldn't change how she felt about him. 

When she finally thought to go out and leave him be like the guys had suggested, she could still hear the others talking about everything that had happened earlier.

"That makes sense. Now Chuck, you said there were two demons and it sounded like one is called Orion. What was the name of the other demon?" Bob asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer

"The other one was his sister and her name was Illshya."

Bob cussed out loud. "That is _not_ good. I've heard legends about Illshya and Orion. They are brother and sister though they rule over opposite domains, he the sky and she the depths of Hell. Both of them are part of what is known as the 12 Great Demons, beings who ruled the Earth long before mortals ever walked. The fact that they have taken an interest in your affairs is pretty bad. Did they happen to mention why they were here?"

"Something about Illshya wanting revenge on Beckett for killing her host after he made a deal with her back in the 1800s. Do you know a lot about the demons?" Pierre asked 

Bob shook his head. "I only know a little bit, and even then, it's just legends. Whatever they are here for, it's not a good thing, and you're going to need all the help you can if we want things to return to normal."

"YES! That's all I want. I just want life to go back to how it used to be," AJ piped up and Bob turned to look at her.

"It's funny that you should mention normal, AJ. The fact that you're even here isn't normal. The last time we met, if my memory serves me right, you were still a Dandie and you actually looked down on everyone here. Now it sounds like you've been here before to visit. What made you change your mind?" Bob questioned 

"Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to get away and I figured that Canada seemed like a nice place to go. Besides, the guys already knew me," she replied, not meeting Bob's eyes. 

"Mhmm, okay, and so you just _happened _to pick the people who were closest to Amelia? You couldn't have gone to visit any of your other friends?" he asked as he stood up and walked towards AJ 

"Well, they were all busy and…" 

"And your husband just happened to be okay with this?" he asked as he knelt down in front of AJ 

"We just had a fight. I didn't know where else to go." 

"A likely story, but I can tell that you're lying. Let's have a little look inside that head of yours. Let's see what else you aren't telling me," Bob said as he raised his wand. 

Before anyone could intervene, Bob said the incantation "Legilimens" and instantly, he was flooded with AJ's memories, all of them. Easily navigating through AJ's mind, he saw everything that had happened when she came to visit Simple Plan in Montreal the first time, and he was absolutely disgusted. He released her from the spell and he was angry. His hands began shaking as he glared daggers at AJ. It was silent in the room as Bob tried to contain his anger. It wasn't working though, because everyone could sense a change in the energy in the room as lights began to surge.

"You little whore. You goddamned fucking WHORE! I can't fucking BELIEVE what I just saw. To think that you would try and take advantage of Sebastien's grief like that by acting like Amelia did, and then to completely coat the wound with salt and lemon juice, you go ahead and fuck him. I can't fucking believe you! You are a complete disgrace and I absolutely loathe you right now. Actually, words can't even describe how much I absolutely hate you right now. You deserve nothing more than to rot in the depths of hell for all eternity. To think that you and Sebastien would do that, you might have been better just spitting on Amelia's grave, you bitch!" Bob exclaimed as one of the lights in the kitchen exploded. 

"Bob, I think you just need to calm down," Chuck said.

"No, no, I think this is good for him! He never really liked me, anyway, so by all means, let me have it, _Robert_! Let's see what you can do!" AJ challenged as she felt the overwhelming urge to change come over her.

Bob looked at her and raised his wand. "You're right, I never did like you! You've always been a spoiled little bitch who never cared for anyone other than herself. You are the lowest of the low and I can't believe that you would ever do something so disrespectful to Amelia's memory! It's like you didn't even care. I wonder, do you really even miss her, or are you just playing a part?"

"I'll show you who's playing a part!" AJ declared and she allowed herself to transform into her new wolf-like form, snarling with a paw on her hip, if only to show she'd become completely comfortable with it. 

Bob actually smiled. "Oh, I see what happened here. While you two were getting down and dirty, he actually bit you and now you're something like a hybrid! Wow, you guys certainly made a mess of things, didn't you?"

AJ growled and swiped at Bob with a clawed hand. Bob easily dodged it and began unleashing a barrage of spells at AJ, who, although she was fast, wasn't quite quick enough to dodge all of them. She fell to the ground in a heap as Bob stood over her.

"Enjoy the rest of your life in hell, bitch. Avada - "

Before he could complete the rest of the Killing Curse, something came barreling into Bob from the side, knocking the breath out of him. Sebastien was on top of him, his teeth bared.

"Aww, getting all protective because I spooked your little lover? You don't scare me!" Bob declared as he blasted Sebastien off of him with a spell. As he turned to face AJ again, he was hit from behind by Patrick, who used a powerful Stunning Spell to render Bob unconscious.


	15. Chapter 15

When Bob regained consciousness again, the room was back in order. Seb and AJ were both sitting on the couch, Jeff in a chair next to the couch. David, Patrick, and Pierre were standing in the corner, talking amongst themselves. Chuck was standing over Bob, who found that he couldn't move any of his limbs. 

"Really? You're going to restrain me with bloodbending? I thought you didn't like to use bloodbending," he said, looking at Chuck. 

"I don't like it, but if it means keeping everyone else safe, I'll do what I have to do," Chuck replied.

"So you mean to tell me that you're okay with the fact that Seb and AJ slept together and then he turned her into a hybrid? God, don't any of you care about the fact that the man that Amelia loved slept with her best friend?"

"Better watch your mouth, Bryar," was all Seb said from his place on the couch. Before Bob could come up with another sarcastic remark, there was a knock at the front door.

Since it was Pierre's house, he went to answer the door. Standing on the other side was a man that Pierre's nose identified as a Lycan, and a powerful one at that. He had long dark hair that was tied back into a ponytail and wore a dark leather jacket. A contained fury burned behind his eyes, and it made Pierre extremely nervous. 

"Can I help you?" he asked 

The man flashed a mouthful of razor sharp teeth, which only made Pierre more nervous. "Yes. I am looking for Sebastien Lefebvre. Is he here?" 

"Yes, he is." 

"Excellent. May I come in?" the man asked 

Pierre nodded and opened the door to let the man inside. He stepped inside and surveyed the room. There were two wizards, one half-vampire, one full blooded vampire, an oni ,and of course, sitting on the couch, hands intertwined, were the reasons that he had just traveled halfway around the world. He looked at Sebastien and smiled. 

"Hello Sebastien." 

The minute that Sebastien saw Lucian, he paled considerably. He stood up and immediately bowed to the Lycan leader. 

He swallowed the large lump in his throat and spoke. 

"What are you doing here, Lucian?" he asked, already sure that he wouldn't like the answer

"What? I can't just come and visit one of my favorite Lycans from time to time? Ever since Mikey died, I've been meaning to check up on you, and now I finally had the time," Lucian replied as he walked closer to Seb and AJ.

"How do you do? My name is Lucian. What's your name?" Lucian asked, extending a hand to AJ

"A-Adeline. My name is Adeline," she replied, taking his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Adeline. You certainly are a pretty little one, aren't you? I wonder how you look once you transform." 

"T-transform? What are you talking about?" she asked, though she already knew the answer 

"Transform into your hybrid state, my dear. You _are_ a hybrid now, aren't you? You were originally a vampire, but now you're a vampire and Lycan hybrid, right?" 

"H-how do you know that?" Sebastien asked

Lucian turned to look at him with a fiery fury blazing in his eyes. He reached out and grabbed Sebastien by the throat and then threw him across the room. Everyone winced as they heard Pierre's coffee table break. Bits of glass were driven into Sebastien's back. He winced.

"Tell me something, Sebastien. I am the leader of all of the Lycans in North America and Western Europe, am I not?" Lucian asked as he grabbed Sebastien by the collar and pulled him close. 

"Y-yes, you are." 

"Okay, so did you really think that I wouldn't find out about your sordid little tryst with the little bitch on the couch? I have contacts in every corner of the world, and imagine my surprise when one of them calls me up and tells me that he spotted a little hybrid girl in a Montreal cafe and she smelled remarkably like you! 'Oh no, not Sebastien.' I said. ' He would _never_ do something like that because he knows that I absolutely forbade the creation of hybrids after the fiasco that was Michael Corvin.' Well, my contact was persistent, so I decided to come out to Montreal to see for myself if the rumors were true. Unfortunately for you, they are! You know what has to happen now," Lucian said as he released his hold on Sebastien and stood up. 

"No. No, you can't kill her!" Seb exclaimed as he stood up

Lucian laughed.

"Kill her? My boy, have you been away from the compound for so long that you've forgotten how we do things? No, first the two of you will be put on trial for your actions, and if and only if you are found guilty, then she will be put to death. I shall be seeing you in two week's time," Lucian said as he turned away and walked out of the house.

As soon as Lucian had left, Pierre stood up and looked at everyone.

"Anyone else want a drink?" 

After everyone had finished their drinks, Patrick left because he had to be up early the next morning for his job. Bob also left, but he refused to apologize for almost killing AJ, much to everyone's disdain. In light of the ridiculous events that had happened today, everyone decided to retire early. As Sebastien tried to sleep, he found in difficult. He knew that he had really, really messed up if Lucian himself knew about it. And now, he was going to be put on trial for his actions. Snuggling a little bit closer to AJ, he couldn't help but wonder what the next two weeks were going to bring.

The next day, everyone decided to just hang around. No one really felt like doing much after the whirlwind of emotion that was yesterday. Eventually though, sitting around doing nothing got to David. He got up abruptly and announced that he was going out because sitting around all day bored him. No one tried to stop him since they were all used to David's crazy antics by now. 

On the other side of town, in a cheap motel, Illshya was busy plotting, again. After her interaction with the Canadians, there was one thing that stuck in her mind. It seemed that the Airbender was rather impressionable. If she really wanted her plan for revenge to work, she was going to need someone on the inside, and he seemed like the best bet. As she reapplied her red lipstick, she smiled to herself. Being a demon was fun! 

After walking around downtown Montreal for a while, David finally settled on a club he liked. He ordered a couple of drinks and downed them rather fast. He walked onto the dancefloor and started to dance. He occasionally flirted with some girls, but he was just having a good time. After being there for a few hours, he got the strange sense that someone was watching him. He turned to look, and he saw a girl staring at him. She had long dark hair that was curled and tousled perfectly. She had on a tight black dress that perfectly accented her curves and was wearing bright red lipstick. When he made eye contact with her, she got up and crossed the floor. She started to dance with him. She looked vaguely familiar, but David couldn't remember where he had seen her. Shaking his head, he smiled at her and allowed himself to become lost in the beat. 

He stepped closer to her and placed his hands on her hips. She automatically moved closer and ground her hips against his. He moaned slightly at the contact and continued to move in time with the music, a slow and sultry techno song. Then the song changed to a more upbeat song and the two continued their dance. At the end of the song, the girl grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him roughly. The moment that she pulled back, David realized with a sigh that it had been a while since he had last fed. He ran his tongue over his teeth, and sure enough, where his canine teeth usually were, a pair of fangs had taken their place. As much as he knew he should get away from her before he did something stupid, he felt compelled to stay. There was something about her that was simply hypnotic. Before David really knew what he was doing, he had kissed her again, this time with more urgency as his hands roamed up and down her body. He then began trailing kisses down the side of her face and down her neck, stopping just above the jugular vein. He rested his fangs on her neck as if to gauge her reaction.

"Do it," was all she said in a breathless voice. 

He bit down and allowed the blood to flow down his throat. It was absolutely delicious. It tasted like a fine whiskey, slightly sour but with a pleasant burn as it went down. 

Illshya smiled to herself. It was almost too easy. When David finally pulled back, she noticed his eyes had taken on a glazed over sort of look, and she knew that it wasn't from the alcohol. Now that he was under her control, it was time to send him back to his friends. She scrawled down the address of the hotel where she was staying and slipped it into his pocket. Then she flitted away into the crowd, leaving David to wonder if she had just been a figment of his imagination. 

Shortly thereafter, David left the club. His limbs felt heavy and his mind felt foggy. He barely remembered the walk back to Pierre's. He stumbled in the door. Thankfully, everyone was asleep already, so he trudged up the stairs and fell into bed. Almost immediately, he began dreaming.

David looked around and he found himself in a hotel room. Considering that he and his friends had traveled all over the world in the course of their careers, this was nothing new to him. What was strange though, was that the room was empty. He couldn't find a suitcase anywhere. Shaking his head, he got up off of the bed and looked around. This wasn't a normal hotel. Everything was old and decayed. He looked in the bathroom and gagged from the smell of the mold that was rotting the tiled walls away. As he approached the door, he felt an ominous sense of foreboding. Just to be safe, he looked out through the peephole in the middle of the door. 

The carpeting in the hallway was typical of a hotel, some kind of ugly red carpet with winding yellow chains that had long since faded. It was only when he looked to the end of the hall that he saw a figure standing there. From what he could make out, it was a woman, dressed in a long black ballgown with dark hair and ruby red lips. He could just barely make out the blood staining her face. He looked to his left to survey the rest of the hall and when he scanned the hall to right, he noticed the woman was no longer standing at the end of the hallway. When his vision returned to the center of the hallway, he actually screamed and jumped back from the door, for standing right in front of the door was the woman, a demented smile playing on her pale face. 

After taking a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart, he opened the door and cautiously stepped outside. The moment that he closed the door behind him, he noticed that the scene had changed. He was standing outside in the middle of a dense forest. The crooked and gnarled trees that surrounded him reached out to him with twisted branches as a cold wind blew. As he walked deeper into the forest, he realized that all of the trees were dead. There was absolutely no light, the stars up above doing nothing to light his way. He shivered, desperately wishing he had a jacket. From all around him, he could hear voices whispering, his supernatural senses picking up snippets of conversation, all of them unintelligible. No matter how hard he concentrated though, he could not hear any heartbeats. Where the hell was he? 

As he walked, he raised his arms to defend himself with Airbending if necessary. Usually, David enjoyed a good scare, as evidenced by his love of horror movies as well as his love for scaring his friends, but this seemed almost too much. 

All of the sudden, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He could feel eyes watching his every move and it felt like someone was standing behind him. He slowly turned in a circle, eyes scanning the forest for any sign of life. Seeing nothing, he dropped his hands, sure that it was just his imagination. It wasn't until he heard a female voice right behind him whisper "David" and felt someone touch the back of his neck that he realized how scared he was! He screamed again and this time, he took off running, dodging tree stumps and branches as he tried to escape whatever he was certain was pursuing him. He looked behind him to make sure that nothing was following him. There was nothing there. When he turned his head back to the path in front of him, he almost ran into a tree, but he dodged it. In doing so, he overcompensated and fell over. He went tumbling down a hill into a ravine. Rocks and thorny branches tore at his skin and he wasn't surprised to taste his own blood as it dripped into his mouth from the cut on his forehead.

He rolled onto his side so that he could try and get himself into a seated position. When he turned over, he screamed again, for staring back at him were the eyes of a girl, the same girl he had seen in the hotel. She stared at him with large green eyes and she looked so familiar. She was dressed in casual clothes but her neck was bloody from a set of bite marks and her innards were hanging out of a large hole in her abdomen. David felt a knot form in his stomach when he realized who it was. 

"Amelia," he said in a hoarse whisper.


	16. Chapter 16

At the mention of her name, the figure beside him sat up and began crawling towards him, a cruel smile on her face. David stood up and began to walk backwards, trying to get away from her. He wasn't paying attention and tripped over an exposed tree root. The figure of Amelia still advanced as David shuffled on the ground, trying to put some distance between them. Soon, he felt his back hit a tree and he felt utterly helpless as the figure of Amelia got closer and closer. The closer he got, the more he could smell rotting flesh. 

Finally, the figure was in arm's reach. She grabbed onto his wrist and knelt down, the smell of death and decay almost too much for David.

"What's wrong, David? Aren't you happy to see me?" the figure asked as she stroked his cheek with her bloody thumb

"NO! NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" he screamed as he launched blasts of wind at the creature

By the time he stopped, he realized that there was nothing there. To say that he was scared now was a complete understatement. He was fucking terrified. He needed to get out of this hellish place.

By some sheer dumb luck, he managed to find a path again, but the moment he started walking down the path, he saw the same woman in the black gown. She was smiling at him, holding a black candle, the flame casting gruesome shadows on her face. 

"Hello, David. I knew you were going to come to me." 

"W-who are you?" he asked 

"Oh, come on. I think you already know the answer," the woman replied, smiling still. 

David concentrated. She looked just like the woman he had seen at the club. That's when it hit him. 

"Illshya?" 

She only smiled wider. "Very good." 

"What is all of this? W-why are you doing this?"

"You see, it's all part of my grand plan, and you are simply another piece to the puzzle. You are now under my control, and you shall do my bidding." 

"How? I don't understand." 

She laughed. "That's why you should never make eye contact with a mysterious girl in a club, let alone kiss her or drink her blood. Demon blood is strange like that."

David cursed internally. That's why the girl at the club had seemed so familiar, because it had actually been Illshya! 

"That doesn't matter! My friends will know that something is up!"

Illshya laughed again. "Wrong again. That's the thing about demonic possession. You will act as you normally do, so much that your friends won't even know that you're under my control until it's far too late. Now, awaken. One of your friends is coming to check on you."

Almost at once, David's eyes opened as he gasped and sat up. The midday sun was streaming through the cracks in his blinds and the room was comfortably warm. He shivered as he remembered his all too real dream. In the next moment, his door opened and Pierre walked in. 

"Hey man, you okay? You've been sleeping for almost 14 hours," he asked as he came in and sat down next to David on the bed. 

David nodded. "Yeah. I had a little too much to drink last night, I guess."

"All right. Well let us know if you need anything, okay?" Pierre asked as he put a hand on David's shoulder

David inadvertently flinched. Pierre looked at him strangely but he didn't say anything. He just walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. David sighed and put his head in his hands. What the hell had he just gotten himself into?

_I'm done being the old me - if everything around me is changing, I need to as well._

Somewhere in those two weeks, something in her logic had finally snapped, and everything AJ had wanted to be or who she'd been suddenly didn't seem to be working anymore. She hadn't wore a dress in months, hadn't bothered to dress or act like the Dandie she'd once been - everything was different now, and admittedly she'd never been happier.

_I wonder._

Four and a half hours and a two block walk later, she'd walked out of a salon, still giving herself a heart attack every time she passed her reflection in a car's side mirrors, or caught it in the windows.

For her hair being as long as it was, straightening it had been a job, nothing professional chemicals couldn't fix, because now it'd be permanently straight, and to further accept how everything changed she'd decided the same for the rest of her looks. 

Once curly mid-back length blonde hair had given way to a layered shoulder length lob, the ends having a reverse ombre effect in the back and bangs of her hair that were now shorter and able to create a framing fringe, although they could still be swept to the side.

She'd ditched contacts (even though she never needed them anyways, why she'd kept them she didn't know) in favor of thick rimmed black glasses like Morrissey used to were back when The Smiths first started (even though she didn't need them, she just got them for the look), and had settled on a new tattoo idea, finally.

But before that, it was time for a few new outfits - she _did _need to look good for the trial, after all.

_But, ugh...how do I even want to look? Do I play the innocent pastel card, or the mature woman wrapped in dark colors? So many choices._

By the time she had gotten home that night, Seb was practically waiting for her in the living room, something that only served to give her a flashback of the night she'd gone home to William.

"Where have you been all day? I've been worried sick! You turned off your phone, you could've atleast texted or called before you did that, I mean-"

She smiled, setting the dress bag down on the adjacent chair, noticing he gave it a strange look.

"Mon chére, s'établir, please. Before you turn into Chuck, because I think that was just about the best impression I've heard of him all week." She giggled, realizing how overly-protective and worried he'd sounded before continuing, "I've just been…getting some work done, that's all."

"Adeline, you look _completely _different from this morning! What even-"

"I wanted to forget who I was, is that so wrong? My curls would only remind me of the years I spent trying to restrain them behind the fancy headbands he'd buy, and the way his fingers'd get snared in them…if it's straight, it's easier to pet whether I'm in _that _form or not. And the glasses are just because they make me look smarter. The thing I just set down is a dress…I'm if to be judged for what I've become I figure I might as well look good doing it."

"_You _in a _dress_?" He grinned, having to admit, he _did _like the new look, she looked…almost _less_ innocent with pin straight hair.

"I know I haven't worn them in a long time, but it's not like you haven't seen me in one." She explained, walking over to grab the bag, intending to hang it in their closet.

"I'll try it on later for you, if you want," she teased, batting her eyelashes, walking with a slight sway to her hips intentionally, knowing he was watching her.

"After I get in the shower, that is. And this time, let's make up for the boys interrupting us the first time I invited you." She called over her shoulder.

Sebastien couldn't repress the slight growl of approval that broke from his throat as he followed her to the bathroom, grabbing towels from the linen closet as she playfully slammed the door and began to undress.

She yelped the minute the water began to spray from the showerhead, it was _way_ too hot, and he wasn't exactly moving to adjust it. Cowering against the towel rack as far back from the water as she could get, she rolled her eyes.

"Do you _like _taking a shower in lava?"

"Oh come on, this isn't hot. Where's your vampire side, huh, sweetie?"

"It got destroyed the first night I slept with you," she deadpanned, taking a slight step forward, still finding the water too hot, "And besides, I might have been impervious to temp change then, but now with half lycan dna I'm bothered by it, and this water's _way. Too. Hot.__**"**_

Seb grinned, doing the exact opposite of what she wanted, knowing she wanted the water a little cooler he just went ahead and wrenched it; turning the hot water off.

Turning to back her adjust the wall adjacent to the water, he watched her eyes flash and change colors as she gave a short scream in shock, glaring at him, though she was smiling.

"I-I can't b-believe you, you…oh…" she shuddered, the water was freezing, reminding her of all the cold showers after reading Fifty Shades of Grey back in highschool.

He put a hand on her cheek, unable to get over how quickly her eyes could change, he still hadn't gotten used to it.

"Can't believe me _what_, AJ?" he teased, leaning into her, hand on her cheek moving to her hip, the other running through her hair, lips moving to the hollow behind her ear, her intake of breath giving away what she tried to hide.

"You turned it to ice for me to say I'm cold, and if you're anything like Jacob that means-"

He only pulled back to look at her before he kissed her hard, she melting into it like she always did, thankful he'd seem to have gotten what she was saying about being cold, she knew he would warm her up with the slightest touch.

And before she knew it, the temperature of the water wasn't bothering her at all, all she could sense were his hands and lips.

When she gets out, her entire body is still reacting, her cheeks have flushed a strawberry crush and her one eye won't stay hazel. Wrapping into a towel, she picks up Seb humming Can't Keep My Hands Off You, which only causes her to smile as she walks out of the bathroom, intending to go try the dress on before he got out.


	17. Chapter 17

Drying off and struggling into the dress she had laid out on the bed, she knew it had been the perfect one to buy. It was a deep crimson red, with a wrap around silhouette, overlaid in lace that create an asymmetrical line, making her look thinner than she already was. Aside from the fact she'd probably have to wear heels to avoid drowning in it, she smiled at herself in the mirror once she'd gotten it on.

Seb had called that he was going to be in living room watching TV if she needed any help with the dress, but she had brushed it off – she'd gotten it on fine.

The minute she got into his line of vision from the hallway, his heart skipped a beat.

"A-Adeline- y-you're just-" he started, completely unable to think straight, _damn she looked good._

"Awh, look at you, you can't even talk. That's cute." She giggled, stumbling over the skirt of it, resolving to pick most of it up; hoping she wouldn't land on her face in the meantime.

"Seriously, you're beautiful. The red really makes you look good!"

She gave him a half smirk, trying to not entertain the idea of finding out how long it would take for him to completely dismantle the dress the way William used to do to her old ones.

"Think I could wear this for the trail? I mean, it certainly doesn't make me look low class, if you werewolves are anything like the ancient ones it's best to appear before them well dressed."

"I don't know if you'd want to wear that…it makes you look…it makes you look good, but-"

"Go on." She changed how she stood, cocking her head in an accusatory manner, putting a hand on her hip, eyes looking over him like she was expecting him to say something bad.

He blinked, momentarily distracted by her stance, trying to organize his thoughts.

How would Lucian react to the girl he hadn't meant to turn, standing before him looking completely different than she did when she was first seen – the way her looks had changed was going to raise questions alone, never minding the obviously expensive dress she was now wearing, the fabric and design hugging her body in just the way that made it sultry and sexy at the same time while still being completely reserved, saved for that devilish i-know-what-you're-thinking gr- _Alright, slow down, boy._

"I don't want to have to be worrying about my thoughts in a room full of lycans that will be able to get into my head at any moment." He admitted.

Like vampires and the telepathic link they shared, most lycans also had this ability, though the seldom used it, only during pack exercises such as patrols and hunting for the most part. The likelihood of the trial judging Sebastien by his thoughts was very unlikely, but still the irrational fear remained.

She took a step closer, twirling as she did so, the dress with it.

"You're afraid it'll go bad if I wear this because you won't be able to keep a constant train of thought. I guess I could find something else to wear…or we could see if we could build up a resistance to your thoughts now," she wagered, walking over and settling herself on his lap, throwing her legs over the side of the couch, the fabric of the dress really as soft against his fingertips as he'd hoped.

And being it was strapless, it wouldn't exactly be hard for him to get off, considering the only other thing keeping it looking like it did was the zipper that ran all the way down it, stopping at the small of her back.

"Looks like the Dandies were right," he mused, one arm wrapping around her waist as he went to flip them, her eyes widening, he'd actually gone along with that idea.

"Couch, really? No. come on."

He rolled his eyes, getting up and stretching before picking her up wedding style, careful not to trip over the part of the dress that fell past her ankles.

"Geez, for a sex kitten, you're sure demanding."

"SEBASTIEN DID YOU JUST-"

He laughed, "I thought you said you we used to hearing that, hun."

"NOT FROM YOU!"

"Sebastein…" she turned over, sitting up on her elbows, rubbing her eyes.

He lifted his head to look at her, wondering why she was still up, he'd been half asleep when he'd heard her voice.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" he reached over to ruffle her hair, causing the ghost of a smile to flit across her face.

"I…I can't sleep…I have a hard time sleeping, always have, since I was little…I used to listen to CDs before bed, but than that evolved into William singing me to sleep, and I know you play guitar, but you do occasionally sing back up so I was-" he cut her off by putting a finger to her lips.

"I've wrote my own stuff, it's on itunes. I'm little surprised you didn't already know that, but still. Lay down, baby, and curl up, we've got a long day tomorrow."

She tilted her head in confusion, turning back over and scooting over so she could curl into him, her head on his chest.

"The guys – they're going to freak when they see how much you've changed, that's all. And in response to your problem sleeping, just close your eyes," he murmured, on hand absentmindedly running through her hair again as he tried to remember the words, thought breaking as she made a noise of content at his actions.

"Ssshhh…just listen," he added tiredly, finally remembering the words.

"_On rentre à la maison, cet endroit n'a plus de charme, J'ai oublié mon nom, laissé tomber mes armes,_

_Déposé ton visage, plus loin de ma conscience, Au travers tous les âges, il faut que je recommence._

_Je t'appelle au secours et si tu veux m'entendre, Ma voix sonne tous les jours,_

_Je t'appelle au secours, les histoires d'autrefois, On oublie pour toujours._

_D'un pas certain je marche, direction inconnue, Tu ne veux pas que je sache tes secrets les plus nus,_

_Il faut fermer les yeux pour cacher l'intention, Un jour nous serons vieux, ces choses nous oublierons._

_Je t'appelle au secours, et si tu veux m'entendre, Ma voix sonne tous les jours,_

_Je t'appelle au secours, les histoires d'autrefois, On oublie pour toujours,_

_Je t'appelle au secours, et si tu veux de moi, Tu viendras à ton tour,_

_Je t'appelle au secours, le passé s'effacera, On oublie pour toujours."_

"Are you good now? It's time for bed, I hope that helped," he added, kissing her hair.

And in Adeline's case, that song probably made more sense than it needed to – the promise of forever had been William turning her and then her consequently marrying him some years later, but even then that was broken and she was clearly willing to forget forever.

"That's so pretty….but it's so sad…and I mean-"

Again, he put a finger to her lips, trying to look annoyed as he reiterated what he'd said not a minute ago.

"Ma chérie, il est temps de dormir."

She almost wanted to growl at him, just to see what he'd do, but thought better of it and only sighed.

"OH WAIT A MINUTE!" she sat straight up, flicking on the bedside table touch-light.

"How haven't you noticed this yet? I've been waiting for you to say something…" she invited, holding her hands out towards him, palms upturned so he could see her wrists.

And then he noticed it, the cursive decorating her wrists in black ink. She'd gotten a tattoo, earlier that day. And it wasn't just any tattoo, because he immediately recognized the words.

"I'm not alone," read the left, "And I'll never to be." Finished the right.

"Honey, why did- you _know _what people say about music tattoos! Let alone text ones!"

"It's not just because they're SP lyrics. It's because even though so much is happening right now in my life I've got people like you around, and I realize I'm not alone – I've never truly been, and I never truly have to experience it. It just means a lot, okay?"

She sounded almost hurt at his words, so he raised his hands in defeat.

"Look, I didn't mean to say it doesn't look good or fit you, it's just – people will make assumptions about a pretty girl like you once they see you have tattoos that are pretty visible, your Santi one you can hide," he explained, she huffing.

"Funny, 'cuz that's the same exact thing I heard when I told Morgan where I was getting it. She just got her Americana Exotica tattoo today too, it looks really good. But I get what you're saying. And before you repeat yourself again, I know, bed. I'm going." She grinned, reaching to turn off the light before sinking back down under the covers, curling back into him.

"Goodnight, Adeline. Je t'aime," he murmured into her hair, kissing it as he felt her body relax into him.

Maybe tonight she wouldn't wake up crying for once, because it seemed as soon as Lucian had mentioned the trial, an instant looming fear had taken ahold of her at night, dreams involving possible outcomes – and none of them had been good, and she'd woken up screaming several nights in a row now.

He could only hope things would be okay.

Most of the two weeks passed without major incident, save for everyone freaking out after AJ's mini makeover. As the trial approached, Sebastien became increasingly nervous. Three days before, a letter arrived for him in the mail, detailing the trial. It was set in Budapest in the evening. He and AJ were both required to attend, but as he read farther down the letter, his stomach dropped down to his feet. Not only were he and AJ being charged for treason, but Pierre, David, Chuck, and Jeff were also being charged! They were being charged with aiding and abetting; the letter claimed that they knew that Sebastien was going to turn AJ and they did nothing about it.

Seb ran his fingers through his hair angrily. It wasn't fair that his friends were being punished for his stupid mistake! After reading the letter several times, he took the letter over to his friends to inform them of their impending trip to Budapest. Surprisingly, when he went over to Pierre's, David was nowhere to be found.

"Where's David?" Seb asked

Everyone shrugged.

"I don't know. He didn't come back last night. I tried calling him, but he didn't pick up," Pierre said.

"Should we go and look for him?" Seb wondered

"No, he'll be fine, wherever he is. He's disappeared for a few days before. I'm sure he'll be back before the trial," Chuck said.


	18. Chapter 18

While Sebastien was busy explaining the circumstances of the trial to his friends, David was walking down the street towards an address scrawled on a piece of paper that he had found in his pants pocket. He couldn't really remember where the paper had come from, but he felt like he had to go to the location. It was almost like he was being controlled by someone, his feet moving of their own volition. When he finally stopped walking, he was in front of a crappy motel in a sketchy part of town. He looked again at the room number and made his way inside the hotel. He approached the door and knocked. The door swung open.

The room was dark, save for a few candles. He could barely make out the form of someone sitting on the bed. 

"Hello, David. I'm glad to see you made it," said a voice. It was feminine and it sounded so familiar.

"Illshya? What is this? How did I get here?" David asked, stepping forward as his eyes adjusted.

"Isn't it obvious? You walked."

"That's not what I mean and you know it!"

"Fine, fine. I admit, I might have planted a few images in your subconscious while you slept last night. The rest was all you. Such a good little pet you are, so loyal," Illshya remarked as she stood up and walked towards David. She stroked his cheek gently with her fingers.

He flinched slightly at her touch. Getting too close to her had been his mistake last time. He wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

"So, what are we going to do?" David asked

"I'm so glad you asked! You're going to be a good little pet and accompany me to Chicago. We need to collect my brother before you depart to Budapest." 

How did she know about the trial? 

"How did you know I would be going to Budapest?" 

Illshya remained silent. With a wave of her hands, she opened up a dimensional portal. 

"Come along, pet. We have much trouble to cause." 

When they stepped out of the dimensional portal, they were in Chicago. It was a rainy and dreary day. They made their way towards the mansion. 

"The time has come, pet. Let's have some fun," Illshya said as she scaled the fence surrounding the mansion. 

"What if I don't want to help you?" David asked

From the other side of the wrought iron fence, Illshya laughed a cruel laugh. It sounded so wrong coming from Amelia's mouth.

"Silly, silly pet! You have no choice in the matter! Now move!" she exclaimed as she beckoned him with her finger 

At once, David felt his body being dragged forward by an unseen force. They approached the house. David could only sense one presence, meaning that AJ most likely wasn't home. 

"Now pet, make the wind whistle through the eaves of the house. Let's give him a good scare!" Illshya said

David slightly rolled his eyes, but knowing that he had no choice in the matter, he summoned a gust of wind that made the old house moan and creak. Uttering a word in an ancient language, Illshya melted the front door clean off its hinges and stepped inside the mansion. David followed behind her. 

"Come on William, I know you're home. I know you're here somewhere. Don't be afraid. I just want to talk," she cackled, speaking in a low voice. 

"I'm guessing you've been busy?" David asked as he looked around 

"If by 'busy', pet, you mean that I've been haunting William in Amelia's form for the past few days, then yes, I have been _quite_ busy," she replied, smiling evilly. 

As she spoke, a piece of furniture came flying out of the darkness. Illshya easily dodged it, as did David.

William stepped out of the shadows, his arms raised as if he were ready to fight. David was shocked. He had never seen the Dandie leader looking so disheveled, so uncomposed. Usually, he was well groomed and had a composure that he rarely let falter. This William though, was different. He looked rather unkempt and looked as though it had been a few days since he last fed. His eyes darted around the room cautiously. 

"W-w-what are you doing here?! GO AWAY!" he yelled at Illshya 

He either didn't see David, or chose not to acknowledge his presence. 

"What's wrong, William? Aren't you glad to see me?" Illshya asked, altering her voice to sound like Amelia 

William shook his head and struck out with telekinesis. 

"No, no, no! You died four years ago, Amelia! I saw you die! Please, just go back to your grave and leave me alone! LEAVE ME ALONE!" he shouted 

Illshya laughed and moved closer to William. He kept trying to attack her, but she easily dodged everything he literally threw at her. When she got close enough, she grabbed his arm. William shrunk back, visibly terrified.

"That's enough for now, brother. We have given him enough of a scare." 

It was a moment before William straightened up and removed Illshya's hand from his arm.

"Very well, sister. Let us depart now to Budapest."

"Wait, why are you guys coming with us? How did you know about the trial? And what did you make him see that would make him so scared of you?" David asked 

"You will understand soon enough, pet. Now come, the trial will be starting in a day's time. You must go back to your friends for the time being," Illshya said as she opened up a dimensional portal. David stepped through and when he looked around, he saw he was in front of Pierre's home.

He walked inside and was immediately bombarded by questions, mostly from Chuck and Sebastien about where he had been. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I just wanted some time by myself before the trial got under way."

"Well, that's all fine, but you could have at least picked up when Pierre called you!" Chuck fumed

"I didn't hear the phone ring." 

"He called you five times!"

"I was meditating, okay? I'm back now though, so we can get ready to leave. I mean, the trial is tomorrow."

"Whatever. Anyway, just so you're aware, you, Chuck, Pierre, and Jeff are also being charged. You're being charged with aiding and abetting," Sebastien added. 

David's expression was neutral. "Okay, so how is the trial going to work? Surely there's some way we can defend ourselves." 

"Well, pretty much from what I remember from back in the day, the charges will be read, and we'll be given a chance to defend ourselves. Then Lucian makes the final judgment. He'll also be able to tell if you're lying."

"Okay, so we just have to go in there and just convince him that we're innocent. Doesn't sound too bad," Pierre mused.

Seb shook his head. "Yeah but what I've done is pretty much the worst thing I could have done. You guys might be able to get out of your charges, but there will definitely be some kind of punishment for AJ and I."

"Which is?" Chuck asked

"Death. If I'm found guilty, she'll be killed on the spot simply for what she is. I'll probably end up being tortured before being put to death for breaking one of our laws. God, it's times like this when I wish Mikey was still here. Someone who would actually be on my side," Seb said as he ran his hand through his hair nervously. 

"Well, we'll just have to go in there and hope for the best," Chuck said, but he had a hard time believing it. 

After that, everyone left to go finish packing. Later that night, everyone, including AJ, met at the airport, ready to depart for Budapest.

As Seb intertwined his fingers with AJ's, he couldn't help but hold on to her a little tighter, because he didn't know if he'd ever get another chance.


	19. Chapter 19

After flying for almost 10 hours, the group finally arrived in Budapest. One of Lucian's associates was waiting for them at the airport.

"Raze," Sebastien said coolly.

"Sebastien and friends, welcome to Budapest. Lucian sends his regrets that he could not receive you personally, but he had last minute business to attend to," Raze replied in a deep baritone. 

After they gathered their bags from the concourse, they followed Raze outside. He pointed to a restaurant down the street. 

"Lucian has made reservations for you at that restaurant. He wants to make sure you are well nourished before the trial tomorrow evening. Once you are done, Pierce, Taylor, and I will accompany you back to the compound," Raze explained. 

Everyone nodded. They walked into the restaurant and began to peruse the menu.

"Wow, for someone who's about to sentence us to our deaths, he sure treats us pretty nice!" David remarked as he dug into an appetizer

Even though it wasn't really funny, it was just David being David, everyone couldn't help but laugh. It seemed so strange to be laughing, given the seriousness of the situation, but it felt good. Once everyone had finished, they got up and walked back outside. Raze was waiting along with two other Lycans, one with long dark hair and one with short blonde hair. They nodded in Seb's direction to show that they acknowledged his presence.

"We will take you to the compound now. Sebastien, you, the Airbender, and the Waterbender will come with me. The Earthbender, the oni, and the hybrid will go with Pierce and Taylor," Raze said as he directed the groups towards two waiting cars. 

They got into the cars and drove off to the compound. The ride back was completely silent. After about 10 minutes, they arrived at the compound. From the outside, it looked like nothing more than an old, abandoned building. Sebastien knew that that was intentional. It was what lay underneath the ground that was important.

They got out of the car and walked in the building. The first floor was empty. After making sure that everyone was accounted for, Raze knocked on a door that no one had noticed before. The door swung open, revealing a set of stairs. Everyone descended and once they were all on the stairs, Taylor shut the door behind them, engulfing everyone in darkness. As they walked down the stairs, everyone felt a chill ripple through them as they descended further underground. Eventually, they came to a door, which Raze opened with a swipe of a card. They walked into the room, which seemed to be a hallway from which several paths diverged. Seb turned to look at AJ when he heard her yelp in shock. Pierce had grabbed her and attempted to lead her down one of the hallways.

"Hey, what are you doing? Let me go!" she exclaimed as she struggled

Pierce only smiled.

"Where are you taking her?" Sebastien demanded as he felt Raze put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, Sebastien, Lucian's orders. He wants you to remain separated until the moon rises and the trial begins," Raze explained as he grabbed Pierre and Sebastien and steered them away from AJ. They knew it was pointless, so they allowed themselves to be lead away. They walked for a few moments before they came to a room. Raze unlocked the door and ushered the five of them inside.

"You will remain here for the time being. When the moon rises, someone will be here to fetch you. Good luck," Raze said as he exited the room and locked the door. 

Sebastien let out a string of curse words. 

"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" he fumed 

Everyone shrugged. 

"Can you unlock the door?" Chuck asked, looking at Pierre 

Pierre walked over to the door and inspected the lock. He tried to use metalbending to open the door, but it was useless. 

"I think they've made the locks out of platinum and it seems pretty heavily fortified. I doubt even Jeff could rip that door off its hinges," Pierre shrugged.

Out of anger and frustration at this whole situation, Sebastien punched a wall in several times, stopping only when he realized that he had broken his hand. With a sigh, he allowed Chuck to heal the superficial wounds with Waterbending as he sat down on the couch and waited for his bones to heal themselves. Meanwhile, David had sat down in the corner and started to meditate to try and calm himself. For some reason, it was more difficult for him to meditate. Every time he felt his consciousness slipping away from him, it was almost as if there was some kind of outside force that was preventing him from going under completely. It frustrated him and as much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew why he was having such a difficult time. Giving up, he went and joined his friends again. All they could do now was wait until someone came to get them. 

Meanwhile, AJ was having a difficult time herself.

The entire fact she had been separated from the guys was her first problem – she'd grown used to constantly having people around her, and that helped keep her calm.

Stemming from childhood instances of getting lost in crowds and shopping malls, then being grounded during high school stuck in her room, being alone brought back memories of things she didn't want to admit – these were times when overthinking became dangerous.

If it wasn't the situation that caused you to freak out, it was your thoughts.

AJ mentally cursed when she realized the clothes she was stuck wearing was the last thing she wanted to being wearing for the next day, though some small part of her figured the men judging her would be nice enough to allow her to change, she'd managed to pack the dress into a backpack with a pair of heels and tights.

_I've got less than twenty four hours to live. Let's see – how badly have you fucked up this time, Adeline Jeanette?_

_Your best friend's dead and her body is possessed by the fucking demon of hell. Your might-as-well-be-ex-husband is a demon as well that very nearly has almost killed you twice. Your new lover is going to be put to death just because you dared him to bite you, and now you get furry when you get emotional because of it. You hate wearing dresses and straightened your hair to forget the past, but you still feel like finding something to slit your wrist with right now, even though you know that won't help with anything because you're immortal._

_Man, if I could take any of this back…change anything. I don't think I would. Sure, I've done some stupid things – begging William to marry me probably was the first major fuck up on my part, but still. I've grown and learned things about myself that I never would have known otherwise. And I've made memories with people that have changed my life, for better and worse. And I think, going into this tomorrow…I've just gotta face it head on._

She was surprised at the lack of her negativity at the situation, but in retrospect the entire thing seemed to be one giant learning experience, even if it may cost her her life in the end, and which point the pep talk she'd just given herself completely failed and all the fear and anger she'd tried to hide came flooding back.

_WHAT THE HELL HAVE I DONE?! Everybody I've ever loved has turned on me or I've hurt them in some way and there's no way I can ever apologize for any of it and WHY AM I SUCH A-_

Being the room was mostly bare; save for the door she knew wasn't going to open anytime soon, she knew there was nothing she could do.

When her parents would fight and her mother would slam the front door to take a walk to calm down, she used to run at the front door and kick the wooden inner door as hard as she could. Cringing at the mental pang of pain from remembering how the shock of the impact would rebound all the way up her leg and land her on the floor complaining, she knew there was no point in actually hurting herself.

Figuring it best to just stay where she was, she sat down in one of the corners and balled her hoodie up behind her head like a pillow, smiling when she realized her furry ears had popped back out, meaning she was close to another panic attack and going completely furry. 

Closing her eyes, she tried to remember one of the songs Sebastien had sang her to sleep with. After about fifteen minutes it felt like she was dozing off, but just something in the atmosphere kept her from really being able to fall asleep. Deciding to give up on resting, she allowed her mind to wander back to the old days, seeing how many things she could point out that had changed.

Before she knew it, there was a knock at the door, and she got up, running a hand through her hair, noticing her ears had retreated.

Standing a few steps back when it opened, she could see one of the werewolves that stood in the doorway was holding her dress, and for a moment she smiled.

"Th-thank you. I wasn't sure if I was going to be allowed to wear this," she admitted, gingerly taking it out of the werewolf's hands, looking around. 

"I…um, can I-" 

"Five minutes to change, and then you'll be taken out of here and to the main room; the trial is to not be delayed," he replied, voice clipped. 

"O…k." 

Sighing as the door was shut once again, she managed to laugh. 

"This is almost as bad as the zipper on the wedding dress deciding to get stuck quarter of the way up my back two minutes before I'm supposed to walk the aisle." 

When the door opened again, the shoes she'd brought were handed to her and she tugged them on, before the same werewolf from before grabbed her arm, his friend tying a blindfold around her eyes. 

"Hey! What-" 

"It's routine, you're not in any danger yet. But we must go, they're expecting you already. Walk." 

And having no choice as to which way to move due to the fact she couldn't really walk in heels in the first place and the blindfold made her not able to see, she had to follow the order. 

No one knew exactly how much time had passed since they arrived in the room because their phones had been confiscated and no one bothered to check their watches. Soon enough, there was a knock at the door. The door opened to reveal Raze, along with two other werewolves.

"The hour is upon us. The trial will begin shortly," Raze announced as he stepped into the room. The three werewolves immediately put blindfolds over everyone's eyes. 

"What's with the blindfolds?" David asked 

"It is symbolic of how justice is blind. Relax, you will be able to see once more when you arrive in the arena," Raze said as he began to lead them out of the room.

With the exception of Pierre, who had taken his shoes off and had at least some idea of where they were headed, no one knew what to expect. As they walked, Sebastien's nose was assaulted with all sorts of smells and it hit him with a wave of nostalgia. Having spent more than a century with Lucian in Budapest, it was difficult to forget certain smells and things that had happened to him while he was here. 

Eventually, they stopped and Seb heard a door being opened. At once, he could smell Lycans, dozens of them. They had finally arrived. Raze walked them a few feet into the room and then stopped. 

"On your knees," he commanded. 

Everyone kneeled on the ground. Sebastien immediately felt someone clamp shackles over his wrists. He took in a deep breath as his skin started to tingle. The handcuffs, at least the ones he had on his wrists, must have had trace amounts of silver in them, not enough to do major damage, but enough to make his head start throbbing.

He heard a hiss from beside him, which he could only assume was Pierre, meaning that the shackles that bound him had some kind of holy water on them. The blindfold was removed from his eyes and he inadvertently growled as his eyes adjusted to the light. He looked around him and saw his friends off to the side, also chained to the ground and kneeling. At the sound of a door opened, he turned his head and saw them leading AJ in. She was wearing the red dress and looked absolutely beautiful. She was led about 8 feet away from him, on his left side. She was also forced to kneel and had shackles placed on her wrists. The blindfold was removed and instantly, her eyes found his. She gave him a weak smile, which he gladly returned.

Looking at the room they were in, it was almost modeled after an ancient Roman colosseum. Seats rose high above them and they were occupied by the many Lycans that lived at the den. Sebastien also noticed several other prominent Lycan leaders. The ceiling stretched above overhead into a roof, though it was open and the moon peeked through the clouds. It was a full moon. Seb could feel himself getting agitated as the moon began to affect him. 

Another door opened and Lucian walked out. In front of Sebastien, he noticed, was a judge's podium. Out of respect, he dropped his head and tried his best to bow.

"Rise, brothers and sisters. Tonight, we are here to prosecute one of our own who has strayed from the path. Sebastien Lefebvre and Adeline Jeanette Winters Beckett, please rise," Lucian said, staring at AJ and Seb. 

The two of them looked at one another and then slowly stood up. 

"We are also here to charge Sebastien's friends with aiding and abetting, as well as conspiracy charges. Pierre Charles Bouvier, Charles Andre Comeau, David Phillippe Desrosiers, and Jean Francois Stinco, please rise as well." 

Slowly, everyone made their way to their feet. 

"The trial shall now officially begin. The secretary of the council, Raze, shall now read the charges," Lucian said as he gestured to Raze, who was sitting on his right. 

Raze stood up and took a scroll out of his pocket. Sebastien almost laughed to himself. Lucian was very keen about staying up to date on the times, yet he couldn't resist sticking to tradition.

"Let it be known that on this day, June the 14th, that Sebastien Lefebvre and Adeline Jeanette Winters Beckett have broken the law. On the night of May 15th, Sebastien illegally turned Adeline into a hybrid. He is now considered a traitor to the pack. Hybrids were expressly forbidden as signed into law by Lucian some 100 years ago. Anyone found to have created a hybrid will be sentenced to death, the conditions which will be decided by the ultimate authority of the pack leader. The hybrid in question will also be sentenced to a swift death at the hands of the pack leader. As for the traitor's friends," Raze said, turning to look at Pierre, Chuck, David, and Jeff, "They all knew of Sebastien's plan. Even though they might not have known of the illegality of hybrids, they still did nothing to stop it from happening. They also willingly harbored the hybrid in their house for many days. The punishment for them shall be imprisonment, and in the case of both the half-vampire, and the full blood vampire, death. The defendants now have the opportunity to defend themselves," Raze said, sitting down. 

Everyone looked at one another. How were they going to get out of this one? 


	20. Chapter 20

AJ sighed, not sure if she really wanted to be the first one to talk. If they were all being told to explain, she might as well be the one to explain it, being it was her fault. 

"It's my fault." She says quietly, somehow managing to not look at the floor.

Lucian's eyes immediately narrow as he looks over the girl, who looks significantly different than the day he'd first met her. One could only wonder why she had decided to change so much, perhaps it was in trying to avoid the fact she knew was inevitable, that no matter how she looked, her life was to end?

"I had no clue you had laws against that sort of thing…I realize species have different ways of managing their affairs, but I wasn't aware you wolves took it so seriously. If a vampire hears of a hybrid, they consider the matter just a freak of nature, one whose blood is to be enjoyed all the more as it is a rarity. I will admit, however, that when my sire found out what I'd become – well, I'll simply say this isn't the first time my life has been threatened due to the slight modification in my DNA."

"And this sire-" spoke up a werewolf two over from Lucian's right, but AJ spoke over him before he could finish asking.

"Is my husband, William Beckett." 

Biting her lip, she drops her gaze to the floor, too afraid to look at anyone except Seb, being the general reaction in the room at the name had been a series of growls and curses.

"So how exactly, is it that you managed to get yourself wrapped up in the life of a lycan when you're married to one of the most hated vampires in the country? Before you protest this knowledge, yes, we're aware that was the case – keeping tabs on our mortal enemies has proved to be valuable." another sneered.

"I-" she began, face flushing, her hazel eye turning blue, causing some of the onlooking wolves to begin to murmur quietly about it amongst themselves. 

_Why the fuck did she have to explain her marriage problems NOW?_

As if David had been wondering the same thing, without thinking, he said under his breath, "What is this, Maury?"

Instantly she and the rest of the guys turned to look at him, all trying to tell him to shut up without having to say anything. 

"Question, half breed? You're still half mortal; I wouldn't be saying things if you didn't want others to hear them while in your position." An older, black haired lycan started from two rows behind the one that had asked about William. 

AJ almost smiled at the commonality this wolf had with the way Brendon and Carden would taunt David, purely due to his status of not being a full vampire.

"It's just I don't think she should have to explain how she ended up with us and Seb, other than the fact she's obviously happier with us than she was when she was with Beckett, that's all. And in our defense, we had no idea Seb was going to turn her – we didn't know it was possible, given popular werewolf myth tends to state it has to be a full moon for the person bit to actually become one themselves," he explained.

AJ couldn't hide the shock on her face when he'd gotten done speaking; David had actually made a convincing argument as to why the guys were completely innocent, and had hopefully saved her from explaining her love life in front of a ton of people she didn't even know.

'_For once you might not be getting us killed because you ran your mouth.' _AJ thought with a smile, before she nodded and went to speak again, only to have Seb say something first.

"In sparing Adeline from having to explain everything, I'll just state that she had only come to us for comfort and a way to distance herself from the...marital issues she had been having. In addition, a friend of hers had recently died, and she hadn't completely recovered from that shock yet."

"I just needed support," she chimed in. 

"That doesn't excuse either of your feelings obviously getting in the way of morality. You, as a vampire should have sought comfort from your own kind, whatever made you think a lycan like Sebastien could understand you better than your immortal friends?"

"I have no immortal friends, or atleast that I talk to. I'd grown so attached to my husband that he was the only one I'd cared about, until things...changed. I needed an escape, and because their music had always been there for me in hard times, I'd decided to go visit Simple Plan. Like I've said before, I had no intention of becoming a hybrid when I thought to visit - I only wanted comfort and a sense that someone was still there for me."

"And so you went to the ones who, only a few years prior, had been your mortal enemies? I remember receiving many a phone call from Sebastien complaining of _your_ kind and how you and your coven had done nothing but cause him grief," Lucian remarked, amused by the whole situation.

"I just...I needed someone who could understand my grief! My best friend Amelia was killed four years ago and they were close with her. They were the only ones who have been through what I went through! That's why I went to them!" AJ exclaimed

"Do you really think you're the only person who has ever lost someone about whom they cared deeply? Everyone in this room has lost someone at one point or another in their life. For example, we all felt a great sense of loss when we heard that Mikey Way had died. I had to watch my one true love be burned at the stake along with the unborn child in her womb! Your grief is no excuse for what happened! And you, Sebastien, you should have known better! Your lack of judgment disgusts me and I have heard enough. Let's proceed to close," Lucian said.

Seb hung his head in shame. To hear such anger and disappointment in Lucian's voice was hurtful. 

Raze once again stood up. 

"If there is no more evidence to be presented, we shall move to sentencing." 

When no one spoke, he continued. "Brothers and sisters, we have heard the defenses presented and now it comes time to vote. All those in favor of a guilty verdict, give the sign of accordance." 

The majority of the people in the arena made a sign. 

"And those in favor of a not guilty verdict?" 

No one in the room made a move. 

Raze looked to Lucian. 

"My lord, it seems that the council is in favor of a guilty verdict." 

"Then brothers and sisters, it is my will that on this night, the 29th of June, that Sebastien Lefebvre and Adeline Jeanette Winters Beckett be found guilty of treason after having broken the law regarding hybrids. Both shall be sentenced to death. His friends are also found guilty of conspiracy and aiding and abetting. The punishment for the oni and the Waterbender will be imprisonment for a maximum of 20 years. For the half vampire and the full vampire, both shall be condemned to death as well," Lucian declared as he stood up.

He jumped down from the judge's podium and walked over to AJ. He unloaded one of his retractable wrist blades. This particular blade was laced with silver nitrate. He pointed the blade right at AJ's heart. AJ closed her eyes, resigning herself to her fate. 

"Such a pity. Such a beautiful girl. I'm sorry it had to come to this, but the law is the law," Lucian remarked as he drew his arm back. 

Just as he readied to stab the blade through her heart, Sebastien cried out. 

"Wait! Lucian, before you do this, I still have one question. When you came to visit me in Montreal, you said that someone had told you about AJ, that someone recognized my scent. Please, tell me who it was! That's the only thing that I don't understand. Please," he begged, his voice cracking.

Lucian looked towards one of the colosseum doors and nodded. Someone on the other side opened the door and a figured stepped into the arena. 

"It was me," the voice said, and Sebastien's heart started to race. That voice, it was so familiar, but there was absolutely no way that it was possible! He turned to look at his friends, and they had all recognized the voice as well and had looks of shock plastered on their face.

The figure stepped into the light and Sebastien audibly gasped. Standing in front of them, though his hair looked a little different and he had a slightly more mature look about him, was none other than Mikey Way.

All of the sudden, Sebastien's mind went fuzzy. He could see Mikey's lips moving, but he couldn't hear anything, the sound of his own frantic heartbeat doing more than enough to drown out any noise. He felt sick, though that could have easily just been the moon messing with him. In fact, he didn't even realize he was screaming until everyone had turned to look at him.

"NO! No, no, no, no, NO! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! THIS ISN'T REAL. THIS IS JUST ANOTHER TRICK! Lucian please, tell me this isn't happening. Tell me that Mikey really isn't standing there! I must be hallucinating!" he pleaded, tears running down his face.

Lucian turned to look at him with a look of both pity and kindness. Before he could say anything, Mikey had walked over and stood in front of Sebastien. 

"Seb, it's me. It's really me," he said, putting a hand on Seb's shoulder. Seb immediately flinched. 

"NO! YOU DIED FOUR YEARS AGO, MIKEY! YOU AREN'T REAL! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!" he screamed, his voice cracking.

"Seb, listen to me. You have to believe me. It's really me. Trust me. I'll explain soon, but right now, you have to just trust me, okay?" 

"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" he growled as he struggled to free himself from the shackles. He strained and thrashed against his restraints, the silver in the metal leaving little burn marks behind in his skin, but he was oblivious to the pain. His fingers lengthened into claws and he clawed at the air, Mikey having stepped right outside his range of motion.

Before anyone else knew what was happening, a strangled cry broke through the air and everyone's attention was pulled towards AJ, who had begun shaking, obviously upset.

"GUYS STOP! I can't live through another fight like that, where we're turned against one another! I don't want to lose anyone, not anymore! STOP IT!"

Her voice cracked with the scream, which broke off into a howl as she flexed her wrists, easily breaking the cuffs on her wrists, never minding them being laced with holy water and silver.

The entire room was silent for a few seconds, and she felt ever eye on her and knew what had happened.

_Great. I got emotional again._

Mikey actually whistled once he'd managed to take in her new form.

Backing up, he surveyed the hybrid, as he was sure that's what everyone else was doing.

Honey blonde brown-tipped ears poked out of her skin, skin that hadn't been covered had by the dress had become covered in fur, honey blonde at a first glance but dark brown at the edges. Her nose and cheekbones had resettled, giving her face a more lupine appearance, elongating into something that resembled a snout.

And then there were her eyes, proof of the shared DNA – only one of them was hazel, the other had turned bright blue like Sebastien's.

"Well look at you, princess. That's something we haven't seen in a long time…the fact you just broke those cuffs proves you're stronger than both a lycan and a regular vampire, but that doesn't mean harm still can't come to you."

"Wh-what d-does that mean?!"

She never heard that before, that she was stronger than both lycans and vampires, but it did make sense. Her mind reeled. If she was stronger than both, she probably had a chance to get everyone out without much of a fight – her only concern was Lucian, who was the only one in the room that might be able to overtake her.

"For a hybrid, I thought you'd be a little smarter than that," Mikey added, throwing a glance at Sebastien before smirking, walking towards AJ.

Immediately she got flashbacks of the one night the entire group had spent in the abandoned Chicago hospital, the night Carden had dug his own grave when he'd assaulted her.

_Please please please don't let anything like that happen again…if that had made William want to murder someone, Seb will have a conniption fit, and it's a full moon, we're all dead. Then again we're all dead anyways…_

"You don't scare me. I've already been bitten by a lycan once, another set of bite marks'll only add to the collection. There's nothing you can say or do that'll hurt me."

Her tone surprised even herself; she had no idea where all the snark and sureness was coming from.

Mikey's smirk only grew as he took a step closer, enough to where he could set on hand on AJ's arm, though she didn't move, too busy trying to figure out what the next best thing would be.

"It's not you I'm trying to make a point to," he countered, in one move preventing her from moving, one arm around her waist when her other arm bent behind her head to the point where it was causing pain.

_And here we go again. Go ahead, just fucking kill me already._

She tried to remember to not fight against the hold she'd been put into, but the upwards pressure on her arm and the dull ache of her head from the cuffs only made her rational thought go out the window.

Before she could even think of trying to free herself or how that could possibly be done, Lucian stood in front of her again, the retractable blade set just against the lacing of the dress, beginning to fray it.

"It's really a shame he didn't know better…you've spent good money on this dress, too bad it's to be your grave."

Unable to keep from making noise in pain and fear, she only realized what the point Mikey had been trying to make when Seb began screaming again, eyes blazing with pure fury and determination as he tugged against his restraints, anything to get free so he could save her.

"NO! NO! LUCIAN! WAIT!"

"You've had your final thoughts; I told you who it was that saw you both, now it's far past the time she died."

"But I haven't had mine."

At the suddenly remark from the she-wolf, Lucian looks between the two, inevitable bringing back memories of his own trial.

The tears in her eyes only make her eyes brighter, and as she struggles against Mikey, she manages to catch Sebastien's gaze, long enough for him to calm down.

All is still for about a minute, where her lips move to form three words, words that Sebastien knows this is the last time he'll hear them.

"I love you."


	21. Chapter 21

Just as Lucian is quite literally about to stab AJ, there's a burst of light from the room and a loud bang shortly after.

Everyone is confused, but when the light clears, a very familiar figure stands between the lycan leader and AJ, though she's more terrified than glad to see him. 

Because standing over her, shielding her with his cloak, derby on his head, is none other than William Beckett. 

She scrambles to get to her feet again as he walks over to Sebastien, where most of the wolves look on in disbelief as William dismantles the restraints, offering nothing but a calmly acknowledging nod.

"I realize I've been uninvited, but you could have told me you were in trouble, darling. The telepathic link is good for more than just complaining." He started, walking back towards AJ to grab her hand to kiss it, make sure she was okay before he added, "As for the lycan, though I should feel it's my responsibility to kill him, he seems to have his death all planned out."

The following smirk is what makes AJ change her mind, this isn't her William and she's the only one that knows it.

As he attempts to pull her into a hug and hold her, she recoils, pushing him away with a smile of her own and a head shake, instead crossing the floor towards Seb, who immediately opens his arms for her.

She's careful to look around before making another move, noticing Lucian was nodding – though it was barely noticeable, it looked as though he wanted her to be comforted, encouraged her to get closer to Seb.

She mentally sighed, allowing herself to walk into his arms, feeling them tighten around her, trying to exhale all the nervous energy she felt as his lips pressed against her forehead.

Turning around to face who she knows is the demon, she can't help but smile.

"I've told you before, honey. I've made my choice. My ring's long gone, are as my curls and Dandie mindset. If I'm to die tonight, atleast I'm in the arms of somebody I know I was always meant to be with, although it took me years to see that."

For a moment, William's face look pained at her words, as though it wasn't the demon hearing them. But before he could come up with a reason as to why he was actually there in the first place, Lucian turned towards the door, noticing yet another being had appeared, just as was planned.

The years of waiting for revenge were finally over. She had lain low for quite long enough.

Illshya strode into the courtroom, practically buzzing with excitement. Once everyone realized who it was, they gasped. She certainly looked different than the last time they saw her. Her long hair was tied back into a braid, just like Amelia used to wear. She wore a tight black bodysuit that was covered by silver armor. Strapped to her back were twin swords. She walked forward to where Lucian and the others were gathered. 

"What the hell are you doing here?!" David exclaimed 

Illshya turned to him and smiled. 

"Relax, pet. You are about to bear witness to my ultimate revenge. You should be grateful for what I'm about to do." 

The moment that she reached where William stood, she delivered a roundhouse kick to his midsection, sending him tumbling to the ground. Turning to where Pierre and the others stood, she muttered an ancient incantation and the shackles melted off of their wrists. 

"Earthbender, do me a favor and restrain him, will you?" Illshya asked, gesturing to William 

Pierre looked at his friends, unsure of what to do. They a wave of his hands, Pierre had turned the ground beneath William's feet to quicksand, trapping him there. Illshya walked to where William lay and crouched down in front of him. Grabbing the collar of his shirt, she pulled him close to her. 

"Do you know who I am?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous 

William shrank back in fear. He shook his head. He knew that it couldn't possibly be Amelia, so he figured his best bet for survival would be to keep his mouth shut. 

Illshya removed one of the swords from her back and pointed it at his heart. 

"Well, you'd better remember and you'd better be _damn_ quick about it! My patience is already wearing thin." 

William stared into her eyes, searching for some kind of explanation. He had absolutely no idea who this was, yet, he couldn't help but feeling like he knew her.

"Since you seem to be in a state of stupor, let me give you some hints," she said as she began to circle him like a vulture in the desert. She dragged her sword behind her, the blade making an irritating grating noise against the stone floor.

"You of all people should remember who I am. I first met you back in the 1700s, when you were still a fledgling vampire, just separated from his sire. I remember, you were in quite a lot of trouble with some local demons. I offered you my protection in return for your undying loyalty. Well, that was quite stupid of me, wasn't it, William Beckett?" she laughed

"Anyway, the two of us became quite the allies. I helped you rise above all other competition and slaughter everyone that stood in the way of you claiming the city of Chicago. After that, I would have thought I would have at least gotten _something_ for all of my hard work, the keys to the city, a peck on the cheek, something! But what did I get instead? I WAS BETRAYED! You killed me and left my body to rot in an alleyway!" she exclaimed, wheeling around and pointing the blade at his throat. 

She walked closer to him and allowed the tip of the blade to dig into the flesh of his neck, delighting in the small rivulets of blood that dribbled down his neck. At once, William's eyes widened.

"Ah! There it is. You know who I am now, don't you?" Illshya asked 

He nodded. In a voice barely above a whisper, he said, "Illshya." 

"That's right, William Beckett. I bet you never thought you'd see me again, but that's the funny thing about demons. No matter if you kill one host, I simply go and find a new one. And the minute that I did, I began to plan my revenge against you. I'll admit, it wasn't easy at first, so I decided I needed a partner, someone who would be willing to help me. That someone just happened to be my brother, Orion. Turns out, it was time for him to find a new host, and I knew the perfect one. You!" 

William looked at her in confusion.

"Oh that's right, you probably don't remember, do you? I suppose, it's been over a century since it happened. You were going on a patrol of the city when you came across the body of a young boy, badly mangled and dying. In a moment of weakness, you sired the boy because he looked like your younger brother when you were still a mortal. Well, wouldn't you know that that boy happened to be the previous host to my brother? All it took was that contact, one little bite, and his soul was able to transfer from him to you. Isn't that wonderful?" 

William immediately shook his head.

"No, no, no. Not Adam. No, that can't be!" he exclaimed, which caused Illshya to smile

"Oh yes. Say, haven't you ever wondered why he was always so adept at controlling the shadows? Well, that was an aftereffect of being possessed by a demon! Hm, while we are on the topic of old memories, why don't we take a look back at everything that you've ever done?" she asked as she knelt down in front of William

He tried to scramble away, but it was useless. She placed both of her hands on the sides of his temples, closed her eyes, and began to recite an ancient incantation. She opened her eyes as the memories began to flood William's brain. Images flashed in his mind of everything that he had ever done. He felt every ounce of pain that he inflicted on others. It was like he was reliving his entire immortal life. He couldn't help but scream.

After a few moments, she released her hold on him and stood up. William had visibly paled and was cowering before her.

"You see, William Beckett, you really shouldn't have killed me all those years ago. Not after everything I did for you. In fact, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have anything. _I_ was the one who gave you protection from your enemies! _I _was the one who allowed you to conquer your precious city of Chicago! Face it, William. Without me, you'd have nothing! You would be _nothing!_ And now, the time has come for you to die!" she exclaimed

Without hesitating, Illshya grabbed her blade in both of her hands and thrust it forward into his chest. She delighted at the silent scream that came over his features as she dug the blade farther into his chest cavity. As soon as the last spark of vitality left his eyes, she pulled the blade out and watched as her brother's spirit was forcibly expelled from the body. For a moment, she was able to see her brother as he had once been, back when the demons had had corporeal forms of their own. She dropped to one knee and bowed to the apparition of her brother. 

"Many thanks for helping me in my endeavor, brother." 

"You are welcome, sister. If ever you require my assistance again, you know where to find me," the apparition replied as it ascended skyward, back to the Kingdom of the Sky.

As Illshya stood up, she summoned a burst of hellfire that incinerated the corpse of William Beckett that still lay on the ground. When she surveyed the room, everyone was staring at her, apparently in shock. 

Nobody moved. 

Turning to look at AJ, Illshya smiled. 

"Hope you made the right choice, sweetheart, because now you're stuck with him."

That was enough to make the surreal moment warp, because two seconds later AJ had tried to lunge for the demon, claws swiping the air, not even sure if she was more angry than sad at what had just occurred.

"YOU BITCH I'M GONNA FUCKING MURDER YOUR PHYSICAL BODY AND BURY YOUR IMMORTALLY DAMNED SOUL IN THE FARTHEST DEPTHS OF HELL WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU!"

And it wasn't like the heels and the dress let her move much, and besides that, Seb still had his arms around her and was trying to hold her back, knowing that if the demon had easily killed Beckett she could do the same to AJ. 

Illshya just stood there and watched with a smug expression as Seb tried to calm her down, though she thrashed like the four legged furry she used to be able to turn into. 

"DAMNIT SEBASTIEN LET ME GO!" 

"Do you really want to die that way? Have a demon rip into you? Or the blade like we'd expected?" 

"YOU'RE GOING TO BE LUCKY IF I DON'T TURN AROUND AND CLAW _YOUR _FACE OFF SOON!"

He sighed, almost thinking about letting her go just to see what would happen, but before he could, Illshya had stepped infront of her, allowing the enraged hybrid to swipe at her with clawed hands, though the demon didn't so much as flinch. 

After a few moments, AJ growled in frustration.

"FIGHT BACK! You coward! You're just taking the punches and not giving any! FIGHT BACK!" she screamed, one hand grabbed the braid and tugging it, her other hand landing a punch into Illshya's right eye, knowing that she'd probably get a nice black eye.

When AJ had ran out of energy and was struggling to avoid collapsing into Seb and just sobbing until she thought she was going to choke, the demon smiled at set at hand on her shoulder.

"There, see, you're all worn out. Less of a show for me to deal with," Illshya commented, wiping her now bloody nose on her sleeve, "Because I'm just getting started." 

Illshya walked over to where Lucian stood. He grabbed her hand and kissed the top of it. 

"Thank you for your cooperation, Lucian." 

"It was my pleasure, my lady. I am glad to see the earth rid of that scum!"

"Wait wait wait. Wait a minute! Lucian, you can't be serious?! You're working with her?!" Sebastien asked in disbelief 

Lucian nodded.

"You see, Lycan, ever since William Beckett killed me almost two centuries ago, I began to plot. I worked out every single aspect of my revenge. Everything was accounted for and there was not a detail out of place. That being said, I am surprised now. I see that in my quest for revenge, there was one thing that I couldn't have counted on," Illshya explained. 

"What's that?" Chuck asked 

"You," Illshya replied, turning to look at AJ. She approached her with caution.

"Of all of the things that could have happened to Beckett, I never could have expected him to actually fall in love with you. My brother used to tell me all of the lovesick thoughts that used to run through his head. It was disgusting. Love is an emotion for the weak! Come here, child. Let me take a good look at you."

When she made no effort to move, Illshya took matters into her own hands and forced her body forward. When she was an arm's length away, Illshya grabbed her by the arm and hugged her body close to hers. She held her sword to AJ's throat. Immediately, everyone went on the defensive! 

"Illshya, let her go! This was not part of our agreement!" Lucian commanded 

She laughed at Lucian's statement. 

"What, aren't I allowed to have any fun?" 

"You'd better let her go, right now, demon, or I swear, I will rip you to shreds!" Sebastien exclaimed as he felt the moon triggering his primal urge to kill

"Go ahead. You think that just because it is the full moon tonight that you can stop me? Well, you're wrong!"

"We'll see about that!" Sebastien declared

Drawing on the power of the moon, he was able to break free from his restraints. He ran at the demon. His friends were right behind him. Chuck, Pierre, and David unleashed the raw power of the elements. Illshya laughed. How weak their emotions made them! She easily dodged every punch that Sebastien threw at her and easily conjured a shield to protect herself from the elements. In the moment that it took everyone to recover, she spat out curse after curse, the sheer magical power being enough to throw everyone in the room backwards.

"Well, it's been fun everyone, but I must be going. And as for you," she said as she tightened her grip on AJ, "May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

She muttered an incantation into AJ's ear, who immediately lost consciousness. Illshya dropped her body to the ground. Immediately, she opened up a dimensional portal and stepped through, leaving absolute chaos in her wake.


	22. Chapter 22

The moment that AJ's body dropped to the ground, Seb raced to her side.

"AJ, wake up! Come on, wake up! WAKE UP!" he yelled, shaking her body

Everyone crowded around her body.

"Sebastien, let me see her," Lucian commanded, his voice soft but strong. 

Sebastien growled and bared his fangs at the Lycan leader who didn't even flinch. Instead, he put a hand on Sebastien's shoulder.

"Please, let me see her. I understand that you care about her and you are worried about her, but let me examine her first."

Reluctantly, Sebastien allowed Lucian to get close to AJ. He felt for a pulse. He could feel a weak pulse. Her breathing was slow and steady and there appeared to be no sign of external trauma.

Lucian summoned Raze to his side. 

"Get her to the infirmary. Let Nina and Singe take a look at her." 

When Sebastien made a noise of protest from beside her, Lucian turned to him.

"My boy, it's for the best right now. Go with Raze. I will join you shortly."

Everyone followed Raze out of the arena as Lucian worked to get rid of the remaining Lycans in the arena. As soon as they got to the infirmary, Mikey pulled his phone out and walked into the hallway to make a phone call. 

Raze laid AJ on one of the beds and immediately, a bright eyed Lycan with blonde hair came to look at AJ. Raze explained the situation to Nina, who immediately began starting multiple IVs. Once she was done, Singe came in to look at her as well. He poked and prodded her body and tried to test for reflexes. He frowned.

"She has a pulse but it is very weak. Any kind of reflexes are absent. She's not quite dead, but she's not exactly living," he reported, shaking his head.

"Mind if I take a look?" asked a voice from the doorway 

Everyone turned to look. Standing next to Mikey was Bob. Sebastien instantly went on the defensive, remembering their last encounter all too well. 

"What, did you have a change of heart? Finally felt bad enough about trying to kill her and so now you're trying to help her?" Sebastien sneered, the venom in his voice obvious

"Actually, no. I still hate that bitch. I'm only doing this as a favor to Mikey because he asked me to help," Bob explained as he walked over to AJ and began to try every healing spell that he knew.

"Wait, why are you not surprised that Mikey is still alive? Don't tell me that you knew about this ahead of time!" Seb exclaimed

Bob smirked slightly. "Okay, I won't tell you that, then." 

Sebastien groaned. This was almost too much!

After a few minutes, Bob stepped away. 

"Well, once again, this is really powerful dark magic. It's not quite as bad as what the demon hit you with, Seb, but it's still pretty potent. It's like an extreme version of the Draught of Living Death. I can try and make some kind of remedy."

"No way, I'm not letting you stay alone with her! I don't trust you!" Seb declared

"Seriously? Would you listen to yourself? If you think that I would be so stupid as to try and kill her while I'm in a Lycan den on the night of a full moon, then you must be even stupider. I won't try to kill her again. You have my word," Bob remarked.

Seb narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but he didn't say anything else. Before he could, Lucian walked in the room. Singe gave him the report and he nodded solemnly.

"I think it's time I told you all about my involvement in this whole thing. Come, let's leave her be for the moment and go talk," he said, leading everyone out of the room.

"Wait. If it's okay…I just. I need a moment. To clear my head – and even if she can't hear me, I'd still like to talk to AJ." Seb started, pausing in the doorway to the infirmary as everyone started down the hall.

Lucian nodded; it was only fair after everything they'd just been through, "Raze, go ahead and show everyone to one of the conference rooms, I'll be there shortly."

Allowing Sebastien the moment he needed to talk to the unresponsive Adeline, Lucian waited.

Walking back to the bed AJ lay in and taking the chair beside it, Seb sat with a sigh, realizing the despite her current condition, she was still alive.

Reaching to hold one of her hands, knowing he wasn't going to get a response being she was merely comatose, he tried to think of what to say.

One month, and their lives had fallen apart faster than her eyes could change colors when she was mad.

One month, and suddenly both of them had seemingly forgotten who their hearts had originally laid with.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, about everything, Adeline. I never thought we'd end up like this, granted we're alive, but – it's funny how time doesn't change things much," he managed to smile, running his thumb across her knuckles, remembering how she's tripped over the dress she was wearing the first time she'd tried it on, and then again as he struggled to keep a hold on her, "You're still just as klutzy as the day I met you. But then again, so much has changed at the same time. I really never thought I'd fall in love – if that's even what you call the first week you spent with us in the first place. I'm sorry we couldn't have thought everything out sooner – though I know Amelia did try to talk you out of marrying him, I know. If she wouldn't have died, things would have been different, sure – and although we still miss her, I'm actually really glad you came to me first – because at the time, we should have been enemies anyway. What made you pick me over him, anyways? I don't understand – and I suppose I never will, the only thing I can say for sure is that I'm certain your heart belongs to me – if anything today proved it. I'm not sure what else I can say – I know you can hear me, mon cheri, you have to be listening somehow. We've already both lost someone close to us once before, I'm not letting anything or anyone take you from me now. They'd have to kill me to even try, I promise."

He paused, waiting to see if she'd have any reaction, although it was only false hope.

Setting her hand back down, he got up and looked at her, IVs sticking out of her other am, eyes closed and face so deathly pale, made only more striking by the deep red of the fabric around her – _no. It wouldn't end like this. It couldn't._

Leaning down to kiss her forehead, he couldn't resist running a hand through her hair a few times before he left to rejoin the others. He started walking towards the door, taking a final look back at her, remembering how two nights ago she'd fallen asleep against him, her hand resting over his heart.

"Et vous serez toujours là, mon amour, à mon coeur."


	23. Chapter 23

As he went to walk out of the door, Lucian turned to him.

"I'm sorry I had to put you both through that – it was never my intent to sentence her to death. After hearing everything you just said – you truly must love her, despite her originally being a vampire."

Seb nodded, though his eyes were wide.

"What do you mean you never meant to sentence her to death? The entire council voted for it!"

"Sebastien, listen to me – what I told Adeline was true – at my own trial, I'd been sentenced to watch the love of my life die, and I'd afterwards been enslaved. The vampire that imprisoned me had acted no different than I had earlier – I wanted her to be sentenced just so I could feel how it was to be on the end dealing the damage, having already been on the receiving end. I have a feeling she's only a hybrid because it was her idea it the first place, I know love can cause rational thought to cease."

Seb managed at smile at what Lucian was implying, the elder lycan knew it had been a complete accident after all.

"That's exactly what happened. Not that I wasn't thinking of what could happen, it was more-"

""Your attention had been pulled in complete other directions and you didn't want to think about things that weren't 'in the moment', correct? I understand – like I've said before, I know the hopelessly captivating emotion of love can cause everybody – mortal, lycan, vampire or likewise – to become an almost different person at times. Come now, the others are waiting." He explained, cutting Seb off before he could ask another question.

As the two walked along the labyrinth of hallways, Seb finally thought to ask what he hadn't before.

"She won't…she won't die, will she? Illshya – whatever magic she used on her isn't something that's going to go away quickly, even if we do find a way to snap her out of that comatose state."

"Sebastien – I can assure you, the girl will not die – the magic used on her isn't meant for death, demons never don't use ultimatums, they're more about how much trouble they can cause along the way, not what happens towards the end."

"But I just-"

"Settle. You've been through a lot of mental and emotion trauma today, you need to relax."

"RELAX? Lucian – It's the _full moon!"_

"Well, after this next meeting with your group is over, go for a run. You know there's nothing like a decent run to blow off steam."

Seb almost rolled his eyes at the suggestion; it was something someone would tell the new pack members when they got too worried over something.

The two turned a corner and caught up to the group just as Raze was ushering them all into a conference room. Everyone took a seat and for a moment, it was silent. Lucian took a deep breath. 

"I guess I should start from the beginning. How I came to be involved with the demon is a long and arduous tale. Please bear with me."

He was met with nods all around.

"I was born into servitude. Back in the old days, the Lycans were the daytime guardians of the vampires. It was an okay system and no one really complained. Then one day, I became enamoured with Sonja, the daughter of Viktor, the leader of the vampires. We would meet in secret and spend much time together. Several times, we became intimate. Soon, we learned that she was with child. Our union was strictly forbidden by Viktor. When he found out what had happened, he had his own daughter killed, right in front of me, along with what he called 'the abomination in her womb.' Shortly thereafter, we Lycans rebelled and escaped the castle stronghold. He sent his entire army of Death Dealers after us. I knew that we needed protection and I wasn't about to risk the lives of my entire pack just because of my own foolish mistake. While we were wandering in the forest, we happened upon a woman. I could tell that something about her was different. She wasn't a normal human. She told us that her name was Illshya and that she could keep us safe from the Death Dealers. At that point. I was desperate, so I signed a pact in blood with her. In return for keeping myself and my pack safe, I was to follow any and every instruction that she gave me, and I was to do it without hesitation. I could hear the Death Dealers approaching, so I hastily agreed. She shook my hand and then disappeared. The Death Dealers never found us, and to this day, I still do not know what she did to protect us. That happened in about 1300. Over the next 700 years, I met with her multiple times. Her arrival was always preceded by an unmarked letter that was always signed in blood. The instructions were short and concise. Sometimes, it would be something as simple as negotiating different terms of a treaty to ensure that the land was appropriated the way that she wanted. Other times, it meant going out and killing people. I did whatever I had to to protect my pact. Knowing that she was a demon, I didn't want her to go back on her word because it would mean the death of my entire pack."

"Did she ever tell you what her grand plan was?" Chuck asked

Lucian nodded. "Eventually she did let me know what her plan was. It was in the mid 1800s that she first told me of her plan. She had been killed by a young vampire named William Beckett and she wanted revenge. In fact, it was shortly after both Mikey and Sebastien had joined my pack that she told me of her plan."

"Wait, so if she only told you in the 1800s what her plan was, how do you think she managed to have the foresight that she would need to plan her revenge so early? I'm confused," David remarked, scratching his head.

"To put it simply, she is a demon, one that is as old as time. She has a lot of knowledge about the world. Truthfully though, I think that had something to do with her brother, Orion. He is the demon of the sky, and I have heard legends of his limitless knowledge of all events in the world. In the Kingdom of the Sky, there is said to be a book known as the Annals of Time, a recording of all events in time, past, present, and future. It is possible that he had read the Annals, learned of his sister's betrayal, and informed her long before it happened. It honestly would not surprise me if she had been coordinating Beckett's downfall for almost 700 years. William Beckett was truly one despicable vampire and I'm glad that he is now gone. Unfortunately, it seems that over the centuries, I have become too comfortable in our arrangement and now, someone else has paid the price for my misstep. I am sorry, Sebastien and I will do whatever possible in my power to remedy the situation," Lucian finished, a solemn look on his face.

"Okay, so now that we know how this whole thing started, Mikey, how in the _hell_ did you manage to survive?" Chuck asked, looking at Mikey

Mikey smirked.

"It's actually a crazy story and I'm not sure that I even believe it myself. I'll try my best to explain it. So, like Lucian said, the events of this night have been planned out for almost a century. When I first joined Lucian's pack back in the 1800s, I met the demon. This was before I actually met Seb. The demon explained her plan for vengeance and claimed that she needed someone on the inside, someone who would know what was going on at all times. She picked me because she said that I look reliable. Anyway, she told me of her plan and that if it was to succeed, I would have to do exactly as she said without question. I agreed, not really knowing what I was getting myself into. My first set of instructions was to find people, a team if you will, who would help me in my endeavors. Of course, I went to Gerard first. He was initially hesitant to help, but he eventually said yes. Illshya just has this quality where it's difficult to refuse her. Anyway, once Gerard sired Frank and then when Ray joined our group, we had most everyone that we would need. It wasn't until Bob came into the picture that we recruited him as well." 

"So I'm guessing that because they all knew about it, they knew that you didn't really die four years ago, right?" Chuck asked

Mikey nodded. "Yes. You see, Illshya has a certain way of warping reality. She can make you see things that aren't there, she can put thoughts in your head, things like that. It's quite amazing, really, the power of dark magic. Anyway, that means that every single thing that has happened to us over the last 12 years has been planned, down to the tiniest detail. It was no coincidence that we met Amelia and AJ that night during Spring Break." 

"NO!" Seb yelled at once, causing everyone to jump. 

"What's wrong?" Mikey asked

"That can't be true! You can't mean to tell me that we met AJ and Amelia all because of a demon! You just can't! Because if that's true, that means that…" he said, his voice trailing off.

Mikey nodded again. "Yes, Seb. That means that in order for everything to go according to Illshya's plan, that means that Amelia had to die."

"NO! I can't accept that!" Sebastien yelled 

He leapt across the table and tackled Mikey to the ground. He began throwing punches at Mikey, who did his best to try and dodge them. Eventually, Lucian and Raze managed to separate the two. Sebastien slumped against Lucian, physically and emotionally exhausted. 

"Tell me one thing, Mikey," Seb began as Lucian led him back to his seat. "Did she know? Did she know that she was going to die?"

Mikey nodded. "Yes. She knew, and she accepted the fact. I'll tell you something, though. Even though she was just a pawn in Illshya's chess game of revenge, she really _did_ love you."

Seb let out an anguished moan and buried his head in his hands, every damn moment he'd ever shared with Amelia suddenly coming back like a punch in the face.

"Okay, so why did all of you know? Why didn't she tell Seb? Why did she keep us in the dark?" Pierre asked 

"I'm not sure, but I'm guessing that it's because she felt that the less people that knew, the better. In total,

besides her brother, only 6 people knew of her plan. She probably didn't want to add in more people, because that always complicates things," Mikey shrugged. 

Pierre nodded, but no one else said anything. Shortly thereafter, everyone retired to bed. Lucian provided two guest rooms for Sebastien and his friends. Seb had decided that he wanted to sleep in the infirmary next to AJ, so he laid down on a cot next to her bed and tried to sleep. It was no use though, because he was constantly tossing and turning. Eventually, he decided to do as Lucian had suggested and go for a run. Not surprisingly, as he walked out of the compound, he heard someone following him. He turned and saw Mikey walking behind him.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Seb asked

Mikey nodded.

"Reminds me of the good old days back when we used to live here."

As the two of them walked outside, they tried to find their way to the nearest forest. It took them a few tries, but eventually they felt like they were a safe enough distance away from other people to allow themselves to change.

"Hey Seb?" Mikey asked

"Yeah?"

"I really _am_ sorry for everything I put you guys through. I really wanted to tell you. You understand why I couldn't though, right?"

"Yeah, it's fine, Mikey. Don't worry about it."

Mikey nodded. With that, the two of them allowed the change to come over them and they raced off into the moonlight.

Back at the compound, everyone had retired for the evening. Chuck and Jeff were sharing one room and Pierre and David were sharing the other. As they got ready for bed, Pierre couldn't help but notice a difference in David.

"Hey David, you doing okay, man? You've been really quiet tonight." 

David rolled over and looked at Pierre. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to comprehend everything that's happened, you know?" 

Pierre nodded and the conversation ground to a halt. David rolled back over and tried to fall asleep. He couldn't help but feel that something bad was going to happen. And how right he was. 


	24. Chapter 24

Without warning, David felt like he was falling. He opened his eyes and bolted upright. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. When his eyes finally adjusted, he looked around. Everything looked exactly the same, except for the fact that he was alone in the room. Where was Pierre? He had just been in the bed next to him.

As he looked around the darkened room, David felt a sense of foreboding fill him, just like the last time he had had a nightmare. He slowly got out of bed and stood up.

"There's no reason to be scared or worried. Pierre probably just went to find the bathroom. He'll be right back," David muttered to himself as he rocked on the balls on his feet. 

At once, he heard a loud creak. He turned in the direction of the noise and found the door to the room swinging slowly open. There was no way that should have happened!

"Those doors are solid concrete. There's no way that should have happened! Maybe I should just go close it." 

He walked over to the door and tried to close it. As he got closer to the door, he could sense the presence of another person. He opened the door wider and looked out into the abysmal darkness.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" he called, but he received no response. 

At that point, every rational thought in his brain was screaming at him to just lay back down and forget about exploring the darkened corridor. Of course, David had never been one to listen to his innermost thoughts except when he was meditating.

Taking a deep breath, he walked out of the room and into the hallway. It was pitch black. He couldn't discern anything, even with his heightened sensory abilities. As soon as he stepped outside the threshold of the door, the door slammed shut behind him and he jumped. He immediately tried to open the door again, but it refused to budge. He took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart and stepped farther down the corridor. As he walked, he noticed small tendrils of mist curling around his feet. He thought it was strange, but he kept walking. 

Suddenly, he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Instinctively, he fired off a gust of air, but there was nothing there. He kept moving, not wanting to stay still if something was indeed following him. Every time he took a step, however, he could sense that there was someone walking behind him. No matter how many times he turned around though, there was still nothing there. He began to walk a little faster, not sure of where he was going. 

Just like the last nightmare he had had, he could hear tiny snippets of conversation, like he was in a room full of people, but he couldn't see anyone. It made him nervous. As soon as he crossed into the next room, however, all conversation halted. The farther he walked, the more he realized just how silent it was. He couldn't hear anything, not even the heartbeats of the people in the compound with him. It unnerved him. The fear and darkness in the air was so thick it was almost palpable. He had never felt so alone in his entire life.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by a sound. A stack of boxes had managed to come loose and tumbled to the ground. As he passed his eyes over the fallen boxes, he swore he saw something scuttering away from the wreckage. His heart dropped to his feet when he realized that he _did_ see something crawling away from the boxes and whatever it was, it was now crawling towards him.

In the darkness, he couldn't make out much. It was a human-like figure, about as tall as he was. It wore a mask on its face, like a harlequin. The mask was white with blue detailing and the lips curved upward into a sinister smile. It almost looked like it was laughing at him. 

"What's wrong, David? Scared of the dark, are we?" it asked in a rasping voice 

"Who are you? What do you want?" he replied, backing away from the figure 

To his displeasure, the figure followed him. It creeped forward almost as if it were dancing. 

"It's not all about what _I_ want. It's about what _we_ want." 

"Why do you keep saying 'we'? Who are you?" 

The figure continued to advance, but did not say anything. The closer it got, the more that David could smell something putrid. It was the smell of rotting flesh mixed with blood. It repulsed him, yet at the same time, it fascinated him. David continued to back up and eventually, he hit a wall. There was nowhere left for him to go. Before he could think to defend himself, the figure reached out and grabbed onto him, placing its hands on his temples. It was then that he saw a pair of eyes staring back at him through the mask. To his surprise, the eyes looked familiar. Almost exactly like his. He gasped.

"No…" was all he said.

The figure laughed and began to remove the mask from its face. When it pulled the mask away, David was surprised, to say the least; for staring back at him from under the mask, was himself!

"Boo!" it exclaimed and David jumped

"What is this? Who are you?"

"Isn't it obvious? I am you. I am the dark part of you, the one you keep locked away. I am your worst fear. I am the monster under your bed. And together, _we_ are going to cause much destruction!" 

"NO! I refuse! Get away from me!" 

David tried to summon as much Airbending power as he could, but it was useless because the figure redirected every single blast. 

"In fact, let me show you exactly what we're going to do!"

All at once, images began flashing in David's mind. He saw his friends, their bodies mutilated. He saw a tombstone with AJ's name on it as a grave was being dug. The worst part of it though, was that in each twisted vision, he saw himself. He saw himself being the one to tear his friends apart. He saw himself digging the hole for the coffin. Eventually, he even saw his own death. It was too much for him! Summoning the last bit of strength he had, he called forth a giant blast of wind and hit the figure standing in front of him. The figure disappeared like smoke. 

David took the opportunity to run, though he had no idea where he was going. Eventually, he came to a room. Throwing the door open, he ran inside and slammed the door behind him. As he worked to calm his racing heart, he realized, with a sick feeling, that he wasn't alone in the room. 

Suddenly, the lights in the room flickered to life and he hissed at the bright light. Standing on the other side of the room was Illshya.

"You! What is this?! Are you the one doing this?" he asked

She turned to face him, a cruel smile on her face. 

"Would you expect anything less?" 

"Is this really happening? Or is this all in my head?" 

She crossed the room towards him. 

"Of course this is all in your head. But why should that mean that it isn't real?" she asked 

"What do you want from me?" he asked, confused 

"Oh pet, you worry too much! I simply want to have some fun, and you are going to help me. In fact, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. You are now mine. You are under my control and that is how it is going to remain, because once you're mine, there's no going back." 

He felt his throat go dry.

"And my friends?"

"They'll all be dead soon. But you won't have to worry, because you'll always have me," she replied as she closed the distance between the two of them and kissed him. 

Back in the real world, David twitched in his sleep. A hand reached out and brushed his bangs from his forehead. Illshya stood over him, smiling. She held her bleeding wrist to his mouth as he gently sucked the blood from the wounds. 

"Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty only to me," she sang under her breath, stroking the side of David's face with her free hand.

Beside him, the Earthbender sat up suddenly. Illshya immediately cast a spell of invisibility around herself, masking her presence. 

Pierre woke up out of a dead sleep and sat up. It felt like there was someone in the room with him and David! As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he didn't see anything. He slowly sat up and dangled his feet over the edge of the bed. Placing his feet on the ground, he allowed himself to concentrate. He couldn't sense any other heartbeats, meaning there was no one there. With a sigh, he rolled back over and went back to sleep. 

Back in the dream, Illshya had stepped away from David.

"It's time to awaken, pet. I shall see you soon," she said.

David barely had time to ask what she meant before he was ripped out of the dream and sent hurtling back into consciousness. At once, a sense of terror and panic overcame him. He almost couldn't help it as a scream burst forward from his lips.

Beside him, Pierre immediately bolted up. David had started to scream for no reason.

"David? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Pierre asked

David didn't say anything. He only continued to scream. Not knowing what else to do, Pierre threw his arms around him in a hug, trying to stop him from thrashing. It wasn't long before the door to their room was thrown open. In rushed Sebastien, Mikey, Bob, Chuck, and Jeff. Lucian and Raze followed not long after.

"What's wrong with him?" Chuck asked, speaking loudly to be heard over David's screaming.

"I don't know! He woke up screaming and I'm not sure why!" Pierre replied, still clinging on to David.

Eventually, David's screams faded, subsiding into nothing more than the occasional whimper. As Pierre held his trembling body, he realized that David was crying. He placed his lips to David's temple in an effort to try and calm him down. Seeing his best friend so scared was really hard for Pierre.

Pierre untangled himself from David after a few moments of silence. Chuck came around and knelt down in front of David.

"David? Are you okay? What happened?"

David didn't reply because he was too busy looking at something over Chuck's shoulder. In the corner stood Illshya. He inadvertently shivered as she walked out of the room.

"She's in the corner," he whispered.

At once, Lucian, Raze, Sebastien, and Mikey turned to the corner of the room where Illshya had been standing.

"David, there's no one there. What happened?" Chuck asked, putting a hand on David's shoulder

David shook his head. 

"I had a nightmare. That's all," he replied, looking towards the floor.

"Did you see someone when you woke up?" Bob asked

David nodded.

"Raze, wake Pierce and Taylor. Scan the entire compound for any signs of a break in. Take Mikey with you as well," Lucian instructed.

Raze nodded as he and Mikey turned to walk out of the room.

Before anyone could say anything else, they all heard a shrill beeping noise coming from the infirmary, like a monitor going off. 

"Oh no, AJ!" Seb exclaimed as he turned and raced out of the room.


	25. Chapter 25

Meanwhile, oblivious to the commotion happening in the other room with David, AJ was dealing with her own problems in her head, being the demon had decided to visit.

"You know, you really should have thought about going to college, AJ," Amelia was saying, but it seemed like she was perfectly herself, almost as though this was a flashback from a scene earlier in their lives, and AJ was watching her life on the screen with the lights out.

"I didn't want to – I'm so busy with the boys lately I don't think about studying, with how much we travel for shows it's useless." She shrugged, not expecting Amelia to reach out and put a hand on her shoulder.

Why was this dream so comforting, like everything was normal again?

"What's useless is how you expect him to propose. He's a rockstar – I'm surprised he's kept you around this long, after what, ten years now?"

"I wouldn't be able to focus anyway, Rae. The boys – there's so much infighting these days – Mike and William are constantly at each other's throats, and it's not because of me. It's the music. They can't agree on _any_thing anymore. I'm really afraid it's going to be like Panic honestly…and they all know this is affecting me."

At the word 'affecting' Amelia's face seemed to twitch, and a sudden smirk graced her features, as the lightening of the room they were in suddenly dimmed and AJ found herself in front of a desk, sort of like William's old office, but in decrepit condition.

Paint was peeling off the walls and it smelled moldy, and the single light in the room kept flickering, and AJ realized she couldn't move. It was as though she'd been tied to where she sat, thick cording keeping her wrists to the arm of the chair, her ankles tied to its legs.

"R-Rae what the hell? I thought we were talking about how the boys breaking up might affect me? What are you doing, trying to scare me?"

The older girl's smirk grew, and the emotion in her eyes changed as she laughed, amused by the cluelessness of the girl in front of her. Oh, was Illysha going to have fun.

"Fine, let's talk. Talk about things affecting you, go ahead. Why don't we talk about my death, hun? Or how you went and slept with the man I loved?! Or wait – what about the fact that he can't even keep you _safe, _given that trial today. HM? You know he can't protect you – the only man that ever could is dead, and even then the side of him that did all the protecting was my brother, as much as he hated it."

"Your br-brother?" AJ stuttered, trying to still believe this was Amelia.

"Yes, my brother, you dim witted french speaking furball," Amelia/Illysha sighed, trying to resist the urge to say something even nastier to get into her head – oh wait, she was a demon. They didn't have boundaries.

"And I mean, it's not like he ever loved you anyways – why do you think you had to badger him for so long to marry you?"

She smiled in seeing the hurt in the blonde's eyes, noticing how one had changed colors.

"And then there's that thing with your eyes - I can't believe you were stupid enough to mix species, it's something that's too obvious to everyone now." 

"Oh shut up, I'm still stronger than both of them apart! JUST TRY ME!"

She pulled against the ropes she was tied down with, but Illshya only laughed.

"And you can't even free yourself. I'll tell you what - you may be physically stronger, but mentally? Mark my words, little hybrid. I. Will. Break. You." 

With every word, Illshya got closer, and be the time she was right in front of AJ. the girl looked straight up at her and smiled back, completely unfazed by the challenge. 

"I'd like to see you try."

"Suit yourself - don't expect an easy wake up, that spell I put you under was designed to allow this to happen - sort of like Hypno using Sleep, and then Dream Eater, if you will. But my lullaby isn't quite as disturbing...it's more my actions that are yet to unfold that you need to watch out for. You brought this on yourself. Now, WAKE. UP!"

AJ's eyes snapped open, immediately finding the room too bright, causing her to hiss in annoyance. Pulling whatever was taped to her arm off, shrugging as she realized there'd been a IV in her arm and the place it was was now going to bruise. She sat up, swatting at the respective machine it had been plugged into, being it had started beeping due to her movements.

"Ah, geezus, don't these things ever shut up? There, if I just-" *PSFH* the beeping cut off suddenly as the machine was unplugged, its monitors falling flat and lighted displays darkening.

Sighing, she looked around, remembering what Illshya had said. Instead, it just made her laugh.

"You can't break someone if they know they're crazy already, she should have known that. Amelia knew I was crazy." she murmured to herself before the door to the infirmary was flung open and someone practically skidded to a stop beside her bed.

When AJ finally got a good look at who it was, she began to scream, there was _no way _he should still be here, she'd watched him get stabbed and then burned to ash directly in front of her. 

And yet there William was, concerned as ever.

The minute Sebastien ran into AJ's room and skidded to a stop beside her bed, she looked at him and began screaming. 

Other than that, she looked completely fine, save for her eyes changing color again - she'd pulled multiple IVs out of her arms, and had managed to turn off the monitors.

"AJ, it's me! Come on, calm down mon cherie!" he tried to soothe, sitting on the bed and pulling her into his arms, though she only put her arms out and tried to push him away, refusing to look at him.

"N-no...y-you should'nt be h-here...y-you're d-dead! DEAD!" She repeated, shutting her eyes, trying not to cry.

_What the hell had gotten into her?_

"AJ, I'm not dead. I'm right here...right here." He tried again, taking her hands and setting them against his cheeks, noticing her eyes widen at the contact.

She managed to smile as she threw her arms around him, kissing his neck and face.

"I must be on s-some really good drugs if I'm s-seeing you...that or I'm d-dreaming...baby don't let me wake up, I'm happy right where I am. I'm so sorry for everything...I shouldn't've left, started those fights...I know the last four years were hell, but I'd take it all back if I could!"

Her hands tightened on his shoulders as she kissed him as hard as she could, and at once Seb realized why she'd freaked out.

She wasn't seeing him - somehow he was appearing to her as William. And with the tricks someone, most likely the demon, had just played on David, Seb was pretty sure this was still part of her doing.

Realizing if he tried to talk her out of it, it might only upset her more (and he sure as hell didn't want to stress her out more than the events of the past few days already had) he decided to just try to play along with the demon's vision until she calmed down.

"And I should have realized sooner what all the stress was doing to you, love. I should've seen how the breakup got to you, never minding your constant spats with Amelia in the meantime. We rushed the wedding – we should've given you proper time to grieve, maybe then you wouldn't have ran off on me," he explained, trying to mimic William as much as he could.

She only nodded and curled up against him, sighing.

"I'm _SO _sorry about that – I just…I'm not even sure how to explain myself for that, other than I felt you weren't understanding me and they could…and about my being turned, so I got curious, he didn't mean to…I kind of made him, so it's my fault. And I mean…"

Her smile turned crooked and she looked around, taking in the fact she was back in what seemed like a hospital room.

"You know what happens when we end up in rooms like this, don't you, sweetie?" She teased, reaching up a hand to nervously run it through her bangs, "Seems like everytime I end up in a hospital bed like this, you try to seduce me."

He scoffed, trying to picture the older vampire wanting to take advantage of her while she was injured or in pain, and couldn't even bring himself to finish the thought.

"Adeline, I've done no such thing. Recently at least."

She giggled.

"Yeah, _recently_ – listen to you. Even your voice's got that tone, hm? Why don't we fix that?" she continued, and for once Sebastien could see exactly why she'd drive Amelia nuts with all her talk of William – she was constantly needy.

Before he had a chance to argue, her hands had slipped under his shirt and worked it over his head, she struggling to get up on her knees so she could kiss him without hurting herself, one hand racking down across his chest, causing him to groan, being her nails had slipped against the scars Illshya had left.

"Adeline, love – we're not alone, sweetheart, it's not the-"

"Look at you…darling, _what the hell? _I didn't do that to you, did I? I don't think I'm wild enough to mark you up like this…these look painful, I can't even-" her she grabbed his wrist, flipping it over, looking for something, "And when'd you get your tattoo removed? I don't remember you doing it…there's not even an outline, it's like you never got one!"

_Whoops. So much for playing along._

"What the hell is going on? My head hurts…nothing's real…you're not really him, there's no way..well then am I insane? Maybe _I'm _not even real anymore…maybe I should've let the demon kill m- the _demon. _That's why you're here, if it's you at all. She said she'd break me, she hasn't done it yet, but this hurts. More than it should. Way more than it should."

And then, to his surprise, she started laughing.

"AJ, you're real – whatever the demon did to you, what she made you see – there's no one here but me, celle qui a mon couer." He assured, pulling her into a tight hug before he kissed her hair.

When he released her, she handed Seb back his shirt and smiled sheepishly, biting her lip as she got up and moved to sit in his lap, her legs over the side of the bed.

"You can put your shirt back on now, I should know better by now. It's only been fourteen years since I've been turned, and I don't think the lust is going to curb anytime soon. And…"

She paused, noticing there were now other people in the doorway, it sounded like Chuck and maybe Jeff.

"Sebastien, I'm _really _sorry for screaming when you first came in – I think you've figured out by now why that happened."

"Like I said before – it's the demon's fault – she'll pay for everything she's done, believe me. But what exactly did she tell you?"

AJ shrugged, resting her head on his shoulder as his arms wound around her waist as he started to rock her slowly, humming part of Au Secours.

She listened to him for a few moments before lifting her head to kiss his cheek.

"I'd just…I'd rather not talk about it."

By this time, Chuck and Jeff had just walked into the room, wonder what else had gone wrong.

"Guys, go on back to bed, she's fine." Seb explained.

"Same thing happen to her that happened to David?" Jeff asked.

She shook her head.

"Wh-wait, what happened to David? I just…I had a really bad nightmare, that's all. And then I was…uh, seeing things when I woke up. I'm so glad he ran in here to comfort me," she replied, nudging her face against Seb's shoulder, sort of like a cat wanting to be petted.

"Same thing happened to him – we ran in here to check on you because the entire compund's freaking out – everyone's on the lookout for the demon, we figure it's her fault. I'm such Pierre would've came in too, but David fall back asleep and they're curled up into eachother, Pierre couldn't move if he wanted to."

AJ almost laughed, mentally cheering at the multitudes of fanfics coming true in her head at the notion that David and Pierre were asleep and curled up together due to a nightmare.

"I'm fine, really. Wish I could sleep, but I think I just need some time to process the last few days. Seb…you wouldn't mind staying in here with me tonight, would you? You just…something about you makes me not feel so…_crazy_."

He nodded, "I'll stay as long as you need me to. But she's right, we all need sleep if the demon's back and causing trouble like this, espeically after what she pulled at the trial. I think it's probably best if we have another meeting tomorrow, and try to figure out what to do about all this…we can't stay here forever."

Chuck and Jeff nodded.

"Sounds alright. Yeah, it's only three or so in the morning – if we all sleep until nine thirty or so that should be fine. Over breakfast or something we can talk to Lucian and figure out what's going on."

As they went to walk out of the room, Chuck couldn't help but notice the look AJ had given Seb, and oddly enough, he'd nodded and grinned back. Pausing to turn around, knowing he'd only annoy the couple, he called over his shoulder, "And don't do anything stupid, you two! You've gotten us in enough trouble lately!"


	26. Chapter 26

The next morning, everyone woke up feeling refreshed, yet there was still a palpable tension in the air. Raze, Pierce, Taylor, and Mikey had scoured every inch of the compound and there had been no sign of a break-in, which unnerved everyone. After eating breakfast, everyone assembled in the conference room to discuss everything that had happened to them.

"Okay, so we know that Illshya killed Beckett, and then for reasons unknown, she attacked AJ. Then she came back here somehow and tormented both AJ and David. Do we have any idea how she got in?" Sebastien asked

Raze shook his head. "We searched every inch of this place. There was absolutely no sign of a break-in. If that's the case, I have no idea how we're going to track her down." 

Everyone tried to put their heads together to figure out how they were going to catch the demon. 

"I think I know how we can find her," David piped up. 

Everyone turned to look at him. 

"How?" Chuck asked

He took a deep breath.

"Well, I have this connection with her, I guess."

Everyone looked at him strangely.

"Okay, so remember the night after all the shit went down at Pierre's? After Lucian came and visited us and told us about the trial? Well, the next day, I went to a club because I was bored and I needed to get away. I admit, I had a bit too much to drink. Anyway, I started dancing with this girl and she looked so familiar, but I couldn't figure out where from. Long story short, I ended up biting her and her blood tasted weird. It was like, if evil had a taste, that's what it would taste like. It was like whiskey, kinda burned as it went down. Then when I came back, I had a really freaky nightmare, like what happened last night. In my dream, Illshya appeared, and then I realized that _she_ was the one who I had seen at the club. After that night, I noticed that she would make me see things in my dreams, make suggestions to me. That's where I went about three days before the trial. We went to Chicago to get Beckett, and then she sent me back to you guys. The weird thing though, is that when I went to visit her, I had no idea where I was going. It was like I wasn't myself. I don't even remember walking there. I remember leaving Pierre's house, and then it was like I blacked out. The next time I looked up, I was in her hotel room," he said. 

"So, can you like, sense her presence or anything like that?" Jeff asked

David shrugged. "I mean, if she was close enough, I probably could. It's more like, when I sleep, I get these visions. I can see everything that she's doing, but it's only when I'm asleep." 

"Okay, so if we want to find her, at least we have a place to start. I think it's time we head back to Montreal. If Illshya is planning something, I want us to be prepared and waiting," Sebastien said and everyone agreed.

This time when they went to the airport, Lucian personally accompanied them.

"Should you need anything, anything at all, let me know and I will do everything in my power to help. I want this demon brought to justice," Lucian said as he embraced Sebastien.

"Thank you, Lucian. Let me know if anything happens here as well." 

Shortly thereafter, they all boarded the plane back to Montreal. Mikey and Bob had also decided to come with them, but they were coming back later. Bob had wanted to stop at the local apothecaries to stock up on whatever supplies he felt he was going to need. 

As Sebastien settled into his seat next to David, he felt a cold chill run up his spine. He looked over at David, who had his eyes closed, and couldn't help but feel nervous. A sense of foreboding crept inside and settled right in the middle of his chest and he couldn't explain why. 

Before they knew it, they were back in Montreal. Sebastien only hoped that things could start to go back to normal. When demons are involved, however, nothing is that simple. 

From the minute they got home, Seb had sensed something seemed wrong with AJ. Walking into his apartment, she shrugged out of her hoodie and threw the backpack to chair, wordlessly beelining for their bedroom.

"AJ, are you-" he tried calling after her, cringing at the door slam moments later.

_Nope, she wasn't okay._

It was a small wonder why – after being sentenced to death only to watch the person she used to love be murdered infront of her minutes later and then get scared out of her mind from a nightmare, she'd gone through a lot.

Figuring it was best to leave her alone for a little while, he decided to go over to Pierre's and chill with the guys.

When he walked in, the first thing out of any of the four was wondering why AJ wasn't with him.

"I don't know…she just set her stuff down, ran to the bedroom and slammed the door. I think she wants to be left alone for awhile after everything that happened."

David gave Pierre a look.

"Yeah, that or she's in heat and you're gonna go back home and find a broken headboard and feathers everywhere."

"Did you just-"

"Yep."

"I mean, come on you guys, put yourself in her shoes - first you get sentenced to death and then you watch the person you'd been in love with for at least ten years get killed in front of you, and then a demon tries to kill you, and by the way, David – she had a nightmare just like you."

After the mention of nightmare, the airbender seemed to freeze.

"She really shouldn't be alone then, trust me. Hopefully the demon hasn't gotten to her like she has to me…that'd be really bad."

"Should I go bac-" Seb started to ask.

"YES. Don't even think about it, just go!"

Slightly worried about David's reaction to him leaving AJ alone, Seb shrugged it off and figured he might as well listen to him – he was the one with the connection to the demon, after all.

It was unusually quiet when he got back home, the tv, stereo, laptop – everything was off, it looked like she hadn't even gone into the kitchen for food.

Walking back into the bedroom, he was surprised she hadn't locked the door. The lights were off, and she lay on her side, clutching a pillow to her, biting the corner of it, eyes tightly shut.

He didn't need the light on to tell there were tears on her face.

"Adeline…AJ, sweetie, are you-"

"Don't call me that."

Her voice is quiet, shaky almost.

"What? What's gotten into you all of a sudden? I know the trial was rough, but Adeline-"

Sitting down on the bed next to her, he sets a hand on her shoulder, only to her brush it off as she turns over, eyes blazing.

"Call me Adeline again, I'm using telekinesis on you with no regrets!" she snapped, throwing the pillow only because she felt like it.

"I don't- sweetheart just calm down, okay? I know you're freaked out after you're nightmare, there's no need to be all threatening now…" he tried to soothe, noticing how she was biting her lip again.

"I'm sorry. I just. William would never call me AJ, ever. He insisted on my full name, though he never actually added Jeanette on the end unless he was really mad. Even just hearing someone else say it's giving me flashbacks, and I can't even look at my name when it's written down because of my last name…I want my maiden name back…and another nickname, as it's Amelia's fault everyone calls me AJ in the first place. I don't want to be me anymore…I don't want to be here. I have no reason for it."

She sighed, breaking down into tears, using telekinesis to bring back the pillow she'd just thrown to cradle it.

Before she could curl back up into a ball as a form of defense however, Seb had crawled under the covers on his side of the bed and pulled her closer, arms locking around her as she gave up trying to push him away and just clung to him instead, sobbing for what was left of her life.

He'd never seen her shaken up this bad – her maiden name he knew she wanted back, but to think of a whole other nickname? That was little- then again, in her case, hearing her full name was probably only a reminded she'd never be in the older vampires' arms ever again, even if she had the choice to change things.

He hummed something as one hand rubbed her back, kissing her forehead before it hit him, what it could be.

She'd often talked about vacations to Chicago when she was younger, before she was turned, and this store, full of dolls and every preteen girls' dream. The American Girl Place was the name of the store, and what had always fascinated her was the historical dolls, from the different eras.

One of them had been named Addie.

Smiling as he tipped her chin up with a finger to look at him, her eyes had returned to normal.

"I'm..I'm sorry…I just. There's reminders everywhere and it just hurts. I want everything to go away. Everything but you, mon ange."

His eyes widened, this was a new term for him.

"Addie…what the hell is ange? I've yet to hear that…"

She actually grinned at the new name, leaning in to nuzzle him.

"Aw, I like that one! But if you shorten it, it's the same nickname Billie Joe's wife has…and come to think of it, David kinda sounds like him when he sings….and you guys DID start out as a green day cover band, well, there was Blink stuff too, but still. Anyways…hm? Ange? It's angel. Y'know, if I'm Dean, then you're my Castiel."

"Did you really just turn a romantic moment into a Supernatural reference?"

"Can you blame me? That's all I've been watching, I finished two episodes while you were gone."

He laughed, "Well, atleast you weren't sulking the whole time. You okay now?"

At once, her grin turned crooked and she used telekinesis to slam the door, being he'd left it open.

"I'd be a lot better if we just lay here and forget the world…not like there's anything else going on, anyways. Maybe get a movie and pretend to watch it, let myself get completely distracted…"

Seb didn't have to think about kissing her to shut her up, at this point it was obvious what she wanted the night to turn into.

Two weeks later, and she'd stopped talking altogether. Of course, there were exceptions to this rule; she often used the telepathic link as another way to speak without having to actually speak.

One night, the seven of them sat around the flat screen in Pierre's basement, glued into one of the last hockey games of the Sochi Olympics – Canada was playing US, and it was no surprise, Canada was winning.

Over the two weeks, the guys hadn't really thought it was much of a problem that AJ, er, Addie, had gone catatonic to an extent. Everyone mostly blamed it on high stress and not enough girl time now that her best friend really was dead and gone.

Surprisingly enough, the first person she'd completely explained herself to before she quit talking was Bob, starting with why she insisted on a new nickname down to exactly why she'd gone to Montreal in the first place – which meant explaining the marital issues she hadn't mentioned during the trial.

Though it was nowhere near making Bob change his mind about her, he did have to admit she was brave enough to come clean after the tragedy that had been the past month or so.

Over the course of the game that night, she'd squeaked maybe once, at Canada's captain scoring (it was Towes, he was the captain of her hometown team, Chicago Blackhawks), but other than that she'd been quiet, nose stuck in The Fault In Our Stars.

"You know, maybe your bad mood would go away if you went out. Like, out out. Dancing or something." David suggested, fiddling around for his MP3 player, being the game wasn't all that interesting and would be ending soon.

Seb automatically shot him a look.

"Dancing is the _last _thing she needs; she's fragile enough at concerts!"

"_I'm immortal now, it's a little harder to hurt me. And that sounds kind of fun…I'll find some girls and maybe get to go drinking again like the old days. Like Spring Break."_

Pierre, David and Seb all looked at Addie, being they were the only ones that could hear her when she spoke that way.

"See? I'll look after her, I'll make sure nothing happens."

"If we had a dollar for everytime you said nothing was going to happen-" Chuck started, laughing.

"GUYS Come on! It's obvious she needs a break! She's been shut down for almost two weeks now! We've never seen her this quiet! And there's a few clubs that aren't as bad as the others…I know my way around."

Seb sighed, not feeling like getting into an argument.

"Fine. Just tell me what night you guys are going atleast – and David I swear – you let _anything _happen to

her, you're in for it."

"I got this, alright? And sure, whatever, we'll let you know." Slipping his headphones back in, he set the entire device to shuffle, deciding to go upstairs and lay down, being the game had about five minutes left.


	27. Chapter 27

"_I'm having trouble trying to sleep. I'm counting sheep but running out. As time ticks by, still I try. No rest for cross stops in my mind. On my own, here we go."_

David smiled slightly at the bitter irony of the song that was coming out of his headphones. In the last two weeks, he had slept a total of about seven hours. Ever since the episode in Budapest, he was terrified to sleep. He didn't want to sleep for fear of what Illshya would make him see. Every time he closed his eyes, his mind was flooded with horrible images. Needless to say, his lack of sleep had a significant impact on every aspect of his life. He was a lot more irritable than usual and it was really hard to remember things, even something as simple as the current date. As the ending notes of the song faded out, he took the headphones out from his ears and sighed. He could hear his friends talking amongst themselves in Pierre's living room.

"Guys, what are we going to do about David? He hasn't slept in like, two weeks!" Chuck was saying

"You know that he can probably hear us, right? It doesn't do any good to talk about someone when they have heightened hearing," Bob remarked and David could practically see Bob's eyes rolling.

Bob muttered a word and then suddenly, David's ears were filled with a kind of static noise. He sighed again and rolled over on the bed. His eyes slowly drooped shut and the minute that he did, he was in a darkened corridor. He could see a figure crawling around on the ground. Somewhere, he could hear a female voice singing a child's lullaby.

"_Ring around the rosie, pockets full of posey. Ashes, ashes, we all fall DOWN!"_

On the last word, Illshya's smiling face suddenly appeared in front of him! With a slight scream, he bolted upright and found himself back in his room. He looked slowly around the room, making sure that nothing was hiding in the shadows.

He put his hands over his eyes and groaned. He got up off the bed and made his way to the kitchen. He grabbed a blood bag from the fridge and warmed it up in the microwave. He poured the contents in a glass and went to sit down next to Pierre. Realizing he forgot his phone in his room, he got up and went to retrieve it. As he walked down the hallway, he missed the glance that Bob gave everyone as he took a bottle out of his pocket and poured something into David's glass.

After getting his phone, he went and plopped back down next to Pierre and slowly began to sip the blood from the glass. No one said anything.

The more that he drank the blood, the more that David realized he was starting to feel funny. His eyelids started drooping as he fought to stay awake.

"Pierre, I think there's something wrong with this blood. I feel funny," he slurred. His tongue felt heavy and useless in his mouth.

"Sorry David, but this is for your own good," Pierre replied.

"What did you put in my drink? What is this?" David demanded

"Don't worry, it's just a little sleeping potion. It'll help you relax and finally get some sleep," Bob replied, his voice calm.

David's eyes widened.

"No, no, no, no. I can't go to sleep! Don't make me sleep! I'm scared she'll come and get me."

"We'll be right here when you wake up. You'll be fine."

"No, you don't understand. When I go to sleep, bad things..."

David didn't get the chance to finish his thought before he was pulled under into the dark abyss known as unconsciousness.

As soon as David was out cold, the guys all looked at each other.

"There. He'll be out for a few hours atleast." Bob said, looking over the glass David had finished.

"_Much like someone else."_

Pierre turned around just as Addie collapsed, being fast enough to catch her and let her lean into him.

"What's wrong with you?"

"_With how depressed I am, it's made me unusually tired. And that book…it's so depressing. I just wanna go lie in a dark room and listen to Moonlight Sonata."_

"Really? You poor thing," Pierre teased, holding his hand out in front of the hybrid, "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"_In about two seconds that palm is going to hit your face if you don't shut up."_

He laughed, but moved his hand, not willing to test her.

"Seb, you'd better take her home…we're gonna have enough trouble when David wakes up, and an irritable hybrid isn't something we want to add into this," Chuck said.

Seb nodded, looking at Addie, waiting for her nod before he picked her up wedding style, her head resting against his shoulder.

"Come on, let's get you home."

She sighed.

"_I hope he'll be okay. I don't want her coming after him, she's caused enough trouble."_

"He'll be fine with us." Pierre reassured her.

"We'll have somebody keep watch just in case. What's the worst that could happen?" Jeff wondered.

It was quiet for a few moments as Seb walked to the door carrying her, the others leaving the now-sleeping David on the couch as they went to say goodbye.

"Redrum." came Addie's voice, as nothing louder than a murmur.

"Did she just-" Seb started.

"Two weeks without talking and the first word out of her mouth is possibly the creepiest movie reference she could have made at this point." Jeff points out.

"Proof she needs sleep. We'll text you when he wakes up, won't be for a few hours yet."

"Alright. I just hope this wasn't a bad idea."

When the two got back to Seb's apartment, he laid her down in bed and went to go watch TV, mind too busy running a million miles a minute to even think about sleep.

He couldn't shake off that feeling again, that something bad was going to happen.

Addie meanwhile, hadn't exactly fallen back asleep – she'd been playing around on her phone when she had gotten a text about an hour Seb had left the room, and to her surprise, it had been from David.

'_What happened to you sleeping? Are the others watching you?'_

Her phone dinged a minute later_, 'Guys left me alone, figured everything was fine. I was out for about half an hour, I feel fine now. We should go out tonight. I can sneak out and pick you up if you wanna go. I know the perfect place.'_

'_Oh good lord you're sounding like a lovestruck teenager. I'm in!'_

'_See you in ten.'_

Switching into clothes she knew would get her noticed at the club and pulling her hair up into a low side ponytail, she hummed Butterfly, being club music always made her think of the dinky little dance numbers on Dance Dance Revolution.

And then the thought hit her.

How was David up and the guys not watching him? Maybe everything was okay after all, and they'd decided to leave him be like he'd said. Still, she didn't feel like telling Seb she was going out with him for the night, she didn't want him freaking out if something happened.

Walking out into the living room and pulling on a pair of white slingback sandals, she turned when Seb called to her.

"What're you all dressed up for, hm? I didn't even know you had stuff like that."

He did a double take at the short dress she wore, it was a club dress for a reason, the hem of it didn't even reach her knees, hell, it wasn't halfway down her thighs!

And on top of that, it was mostly sleeveless, with a butterfly hem on one shoulder for a flyaway effect, the other one having a simple shoulder strap adorned with fake rhinestones. The entire dress seemed like it had been dumped into a vat of glitter, but that was the point.

And then her makeup – having her now straightened hair pulled up low into a side swept ponytail that left her bangs to frame her face was enough, but adding dark metallic smoky eyes and deep red lips just – he couldn't even explain how just _hot _she looked. (Of course, it probably helped she was stuck in the body of a nineteen year old (being she'd been turned shortly after her birthday.)

"Uh.." she froze, trying to think of a way out of it, "I'm going dancing tonight. I looked up a few places and I'd like to check them out myself before I let David take me anywhere, you know, just in case he finds a girl and gets lost himself."

He gave her a look, but nodded anyways.

"That's a good idea I guess, but just make sure you have your phone on you, okay? Call me or the guys if anything – and I mean _anything_ happens."

She grinned, holding up the nearly-outdated Samsung Galaxy s3 mini, "Don't worry, I will. And this stuff's just…for going out. I used to wear stuff like this all the time before my life changed – Amelia and I used to go dancing at Spirit Underground every other weekend, actually. But don't worry – I'll be fine.

Opening the door and tapping the bottom of the sandals against the door to make sure they were tight enough, she started humming Speed Over Beethoven. Going to walk back down the hall so she could meet David outside, she retraced her steps and poked her head back in the apartment door, giggling.

"What, I don't get a kiss before I go?" she teased, winking.

Before she could get back out into the hallway, Seb was up off the couch and in front of her, he'd grabbed her wrist with one hand, the other landing on her hip, unable to stop himself from kissing her until he needed to break away for air.

She grinned, licking her fangs, already lost in thought about the sort of guys she'd be dancing with at the club.

"Before you say anything – I won't wear myself out dancing. You kiss me like that; I know where your mind is. You're almost as bad as I am." She paused, looking down the hall, "Or maybe _I_ just have that effect on guys."

And with a peck to his cheek, she was gone.


	28. Chapter 28

"Holy- David are you sure this is- I can hear the music from _out here._" Addie complained, in complete awe as the two rounded the corner where the club was, they could both hear bass heavy trance coming from the building as lights flashed from the windows.

He shrugged, "They're all like that. Feel the beat yet? It's really relaxing once you get into it, you find the right dance partner and it seems like nothing's wrong."

"You know, for someone that seems like the most immature guy in the band, you wanting to take me dancing to cheer me up is really grown up of you, if that makes sense. I'm excited, come on, let's go!"

And without another word, she'd grabbed his hand and took off into the club, laughing.

It really was great, the lights were so pretty and the beat was easy to find, almost automatically she found herself walking to the beat, her hips moving in time.

"Wow. My heart's just- I can feel it going faster, and I'm not even dancing yet!"

"That's the point – first few songs are to try and match your heartbeat to the music and get people riled up," David explained as he led her to the bar, waving over the bartender.

"Want anything? It's not like I'm a stranger, you know me," he added after the look she gave him.

"I'm fine for now, but thanks." Grabbing his hand, she grinned, "Can't you wait a bit? And besides,"

Pausing as she realized the song had become VERY familiar, "I think I've found my dancing partner."

"You're not just sayi- whoa, okay okay!" he called after as she tugged him into the crowd, trying to get as close to the speaker as she could.

The beat was easy to find, this almost sounded like an old Owl City song, but extended and looped and then overlaid into a trance track.

David, meanwhile, was completely aware of how the night was supposed to go – the demon had come to him the moment the sleeping potion Bob had slipped him took effect, and she kept him from freaking out – this time she didn't show him anything horrifying, she just – well, she gave him a bargain.

She would stop tormenting him for a few nights in exchange for being able to mess with somebody else, namely, AJ. She had laughed at him when he told the demon of her new nickname preference, that

Adeline had gone out the window and even being called AJ bugged her.

"_Addie. Sounds like that doll the little girls are always after in that Chicago store, it's funny, through the host's memories I can see that's where the idea is from," Illshya had told him, amused at the sudden identity change of the blonde – first the looks, now the nickname._

_But what she'd told him to do, man, did it surprise him - she bargained that she'd leave him alone only if he kidnapped the girl and allowed the demon to torment her for a while. And as much as David didn't want to agree with it, a decent's night sleep was on the line - and being so, he agreed, only on the condition that the demon wouldn't really harm her._

"_Oh don't worry, pet. I wouldn't think of hurting her...much."_

_And then, like he hadn't been dreaming at all, he opened his eyes and sat up, waving the guys off with a simple, "See? I'm fine, just like you said I'd be. I'm just gonna go chill in my room, read comics or something - or maybe I'll give in and download Flappy Bird finally."_

_He heard Chuck call something after him, but he was already off the couch and down the hall, texting as he walked._

_Maybe, just this once, listening to the demon wasn't going to end badly._

Managing to leave without the guys noticing had been easy, well, in all truth he'd just said he was going for a walk. And the minute Addie had met him in front of the apartment complex? Holy hell did she looked different. 

The night was going to be good, for sure.

Her voice pulled David out of his thoughts as she started humming what she thought was the main melody of the song that was playing, and he smiled, before he realized she was confused and unable to truly recognize the song. 

The music wasn't something she was used to, it'd been years since she'd gone dancing with anyone, and although the beat was easy to pick up and move with, it just - something about it didn't feel right, if she closed her eyes she'd have flashbacks of her and Amelia dancing in time, the older brunette laughing as Addie tried to pick up every other guy she danced with.

But tonight was different, because the minute Addie went to go find another guy to dance with; she felt more than saw David spin her around and pull her into his arms, shocking her a bit. Before she had a chance to ask why, he'd put his lips to hers in a quick kiss, his lips cold against her own.

"What'd- did you really just-" she sputtered, confused, though she didn't seem mad.

"Just go with it, there's going to be alot more where that came from with the kind of place we're in, trust me. And in all honesty, I don't think you mind. And I'm sorry, it's just - you do seem to be asking for it, wearing that."

To his surprise, she grinned, "Hm. You're right. And I mean - going back to when I started listening to you guys - I had a crush on you first, not Seb believe it or not. That doesn't mean I'm easy, you're lucky I just didn't punch you in the face right now." 

Normally, that was something he just wouldn't have done, that's for sure, but with Addie looking at him, and the music spilling through his veins, it was all more than enough to cause him to slip right into the character you'd see inhabiting these places on a daily basis. 

"I hope you go dancing alot - I mean, it's been awhile since I've done _any_ of this, but I still remember how to move, and if it's anything like the way things used to be, something tells me I'll be crashing at your place tonight, and I'm _perfectly _fine with that."

"Addie - now you're just-" he started, what she'd just said _had _to be testing him, what with the way her tone had suddenly changed to a borderline flirtatious murmur, there was no way she'd willingly leave Seb alone for a night. The sentence died on his lips as she turned around against him and walked back into him, automatically her body found the beat and she began dancing, her hips rotating against his own as she started grinding.

"Fucking hell," she drawled slightly, turning her head to look at him, smirking.

"Go on…you can hold me, you know. I need something to steady me 'til I get used to the music," she explained. Not needing a second invitation, David's hands automatically found her hips and he pressed her closer to him as the song changed, her body responding to the sound waves.

Before long, both of them could feel the stress melting away into the beads of sweat rolling off them, being they'd gotten used to the movements and were completely lost in the feel of each other and the ongoing wordless noise around them.

David had actually pulled his shirt almost off (leaving it so his arms were out of the sleeves but the neck part of it hung loosely, the majority of the fabric draping down his back), which left Addie somewhat starstruck yet again – true, she'd always had a crush on him, but the fact he was almost shirtless and close dancing with her? She mentally purred at the thought, leaning her head back to rest it against his shoulder as one of his hands began to rub her hip in circles, the other trailing up her body to brush her ponytail out of the way.

Remembering what he'd said about there being a lot more where the earlier out-of-nowhere kiss had come from, she couldn't help but sigh softly as he rained kisses down her next, eventually getting to the point where his mind blanked as he simply grabbed her chin and turned her faces towards him and kissed her full on the mouth, he lips and body feeling like fire against his own.

When he broke the kiss, the first thing out her mouth was something to reassure him.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure Seb never finds out any of this happened tonight…well," she winked, "That is, if you can get me a drink first. All this dancing's got my system begging for alcohol."

He grinned, "As you wish. I'll be right back – don't go anywhere."

"I won't, promise." She replied as he slipped back through the crowd to the bar, she turning to a pretty redhead to the side of her, sliding in behind of her as she nodded, finding the beat again as the girl began to grind against her.

_Could tonight get any better?_

About five minutes later and David had slipped back beside her, holding a glass of what looked like red wine, by smell alone Addie automatically thought Shiraz or maybe Merlot.

"Wow, you didn't even ask what I wanted and you got it right, thank you!"

Taking the glass from him, she didn't waste any time in emptying it, afterwards passing it to the girl on her left, noticing there was a bin for dirty glasses to be put into so people weren't just dropping them on the floor.

"Thanks," but the girl had turned back to her new partner just as the song changed again. At this point Addie had all but giving up wondering what would happen, hell, she almost wondered if she could goad David into biting her…'O_h god, imagine Seb's reaction…this could be fun,'_ she mused, feeling David's hands on her body, somehow relaxing into the grip he had on her hips as the beat became slow and sultry.

It felt like forever, the songs blending into one another, his lips coming against her neck and ear more times than she could keep track of – come to think of it, her mind _did _seem fuzzy all of a sudden.

"I'm really glad we went out tonight, but I should probably c-call-" she started, reaching for her phone, knowing it was tucked into the built in bra of the dress.

"Awh, hun, come on – the fun's just getting started," he purred, voice sounding way too familiar to Addie for it to be David's.

His hand locked around her wrist just as she was about to grab her phone, and her eyes widened in fear, though she refused to look at him, too afraid something in his eyes might have changed that would remind her of the one person she never wanted to see again.

_Shit, now I'm in- wait…oh no._

Her mind was all over the place, trying to figure out a way out of it. His grip wasn't that strong, she could overpower him if she had to. But that didn't explain why his voice sounded so – turning her head, she looked at him and it her heart had been beating, it would've stopped. It wasn't David she was dancing with anymore.

It was Mike Carden.

"You fucking sly bastard, how the-" she started, trying to sound braver than she felt, though she could hear her words coming out slower than normally, like her vocal chords were clumsy.

And then see thought of the drink he'd handed her not ten minutes earlier.

_The drink._

He must have drugged her, slipped something into the wine when he was getting it for her.

"If you're going dancing, never accept drinks from anyone – even if you think you know them very well, Adeline." Carden smirked, that same look in his eyes as the night – _No. NO. NO._

Addie's mind spun – she couldn't reach her phone, and with whatever he'd drugged her with she couldn't exactly think to use telekinesis against him. _But how._

"How'd y-you-" she could already feel the fear starting to compromise her ability to speak as she wrestled, trying to get out of the close contact with him.

"She knows I bug you, doll. It's not really me, it's still the airbender, but someone wanted to have a little bit of fun before the next stage begins," Carden explained, laughing.

"Not real- what d'ya mean s-she?"

He rolled his eyes, forcing her wrist back down to her side, though she hadn't stopped dancing, probably for lack of wanting to cause a scene.

"Have they told you _nothing_, mutt?"

She almost smiled at his old insults, even if it wasn't really him.

"Well I…I know David's had trouble…sl-sleeping lately, but-"

"Did they ever tell you _why?_"

"N-No." At this point she closed her eyes, suddenly the music was too loud and the lights were too bright, setting off a dull throbbing in the back of her head.

"Shame…they've kept it a secret from you, dear. He knows the demon better than you think, it's why you're seeing me. He's got a bit of blood bond with her, and that's why you're here tonight. She's using him to kidnap you for her own means," Carden began, licking his lips, eyes drifting over her body.

"W-wait I d-don't- don't understand. Why-"

And before she had a chance to finish her sentence, he'd opened his mouth and bit down on her neck, causing her to give a light gasp of pain before she faded completely under the influence of the drug.


	29. Chapter 29

Meanwhile, David wasn't really aware of what he was doing; he remembered going to get a drink for her, and then – nothing. It was like Illshya was suddenly control his movements, because the next thing he knew he was biting her, feeling her blood slide down his throat.

Remembering what William had said about her blood being tainted, David could sense it too, because it mostly was sweet and sugary, nothing at all like the demon's blood had been, and certainly nothing like normal female vampires'.

'_You've done well, pet. Stop drinking now, she's out cold. The drug will keep her under long enough for you to take her to where I want her.'_

David actually had to fight the demon's voice in his head, he didn't want to stop, the night was just starting to get interesting for him.

'_I SAID STOP.'_ Came Illshya's voice, annoyed.

Reluctantly David pulled his mouth away from AJ's neck, licking the droplets of blood that fell onto her skin, adjusting the now dead-weight girl in his arms so he could carry her.

'Alright, where to?' he asked.

'_There's a funeral home in town you should remember – it's where the service was held for my host. Just putting the hybrid there should mentally damage her, it'll be fun to watch. Come along now, we don't have time to waste.'_

He nodded, hoping the demon would stay true to her word about not truly hurting AJ. With a heavy sigh, he started towards the door of the club, back outside to do Illshya's bidding.

After depositing AJ's unconscious form in the basement of the funeral home, David returned to Pierre's house. He entered the house silently. His head was throbbing and as he looked around the darkened room, he wondered how he had gotten there in the first place. His eyes drifted over the couch where he recognized Pierre's sleeping form. He stared, confused for a moment, but then he remembered that since Mikey and Bob were also staying with them, Pierre had given up his bed for Mikey. He stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do.

"You know what you must do," came a voice. He recognized it as Illshya's voice.

"How? There is nothing to write it with," David replied, his voice neutral and flat.

"In order to achieve greatness, sacrifices must be made. I require a blood sacrifice. Retrieve a knife and a bowl from the kitchen."

David's feet carried him to the kitchen, seemingly of their own volition. He retrieved a sharp knife from the drawer and a bowl from the cupboard and walked back into the living room. He put the blade to his own wrist.

"No, pet, that is not necessary. You have been loyal enough. In this instance, I require the blood of another. Use the Earthbender," Illshya commanded.

David walked over to Pierre and knelt down.

"And if he should awaken?" David asked as he grabbed hold of Pierre's wrist

"He will not. I will see to it that he does not."

Just as David put the blade to Pierre's wrist, he heard footsteps. He spun around and stood up, placing the knife into his pocket. Chuck came padding softly down the hallway.

"David? What are you doing?" he asked with a yawn as he walked into the kitchen

"Don't worry about it. What are you doing?" David replied

Chuck came out of the kitchen holding a glass of water.

"Just needed some water. Seriously, what are you up to?" he asked, giving David a look

"Nothing, I swear! Just go back to bed."

Chuck shrugged and walked back down the hallway.

"You'd better not be drawing all over Pierre's face again. You know how mad he gets," Chuck called over his shoulder.

"I'm not, I'm not," David replied, sticking his tongue out.

He waited until he heard Chuck's door close once again. He knelt down next to Pierre and grabbed his wrist. Pulling the blade out of his pocket, he put the cold steel to Pierre's wrist and dragged it slowly across. Pierre grimaced in his sleep, but he did not awaken. As the blood began to flow into the bowl, David absentmindedly licked his lips.

"Go ahead, pet. You have been good and deserve a reward," Illshya said once enough blood had accumulated in the bowl.

David brought Pierre's wrist to his mouth and gently lapped the blood from the wound, delighting in its familiar taste. In his sleep, Pierre made a noise of contentment.

Eventually, the wound stopped bleeding, though David knew it would still leave a scar. He licked the remaining blood off of the knife, careful not to cut himself. He placed the knife on the coffee table and walked to the wall opposite. The wall was bare, save for the coat of beige paint.

"What should I write?" David asked

"Here, let me guide your hand," said a voice from beside him. Illshya had appeared next to him.

She grabbed onto David's wrist and dipped his finger in the blood. Using it like a sort of grotesque finger paint, she began to paint symbols on the wall. It only took about 20 minutes before the entire wall was covered in the strange markings.

"What does it mean?"

"Well, if the wizard is as clever as I think he is, it will only be a matter of time before he figures out that this is a note detailing where to find the hybrid. Come along, pet. Now we get to sit back and relax for the time being. When the moon rises again tomorrow, that is when the _real_ fun begins," Illshya said with a smile as she led David away, still holding onto his wrist.

She opened up a dimensional portal and stepped through. When they exited the portal, they were standing in front of a small funeral home. It was a modest little building, but already there were signs of decay. Shortly after the funeral for Amelia, the building had caught fire and had since been condemned. This was the place where Illshya was keeping Addie. After David had brought her back, they had placed her in the darkened basement and closed the door.

Illshya ascended the stairs after checking on AJ. David was leaning against the doorframe of the room where the bodies were displayed. He felt utterly drained.

"Something is troubling you, pet. What is it?" Illshya asked, walking closer

"There's a lot of negative energy here. People have died, and I can feel the pain and darkness," he replied, rubbing his eyes.

At his statement, Illshya laughed. David immediately stood up straight.

"What's so funny?" he demanded, staring the demon down

"Emotions. You humans have so many of them, and they make you weak, especially the ones like love and joy and sadness," she spat, disgusted.

"But that's what makes us human! Without those, we would all be psychopaths like you!"

"True, but the way that you fawn over others, the way that you cry when someone dies...it disgusts me! On the contrary, I enjoy fear and terror, the raging panic that settles in your bones as the chemicals flood your brain. I thrive off of fear."

"So, like the things you've made me see?" he asked

Illshya nodded. "Fear is one of the most powerful emotions there is. If you think though that the things that I have made you see are terrible, you should have been alive back when _I_ ruled. In my time, nightmares walked among us. Walked and danced, skewering victims in plain sight, laying their fears and worst desires out for everyone to see. This to make us laugh. And now nightmares are trapped inside the heads of humans...It amuses me how weak you are, crying out in the middle of the night for your friends to come and save you. Little to do you realize, pet, that there is _nothing_ they can do to save you!"

"Oh yeah? Well, you're wrong! My friends are going to find a way to get rid of you. You say that you despise the weak emotions, but what about rage? Pure, murderous rage? Because that is what you'll find yourself up against if you keep this up!"

Illshya closed the gap that had formed between the two of them. Though in Amelia's body she was shorter than David, the cold fire burning behind her eyes intimidated him like no other.

"Is that a threat?" Illshya asked, her voice soft but dangerous

David did not reply, but he stared into her eyes. She turned away from him and walked away. As she turned away, he grabbed her by the wrist. She looked at him curiously. Before she could say anything, he had closed the gap between the two of them and kissed her. When he pulled back, he found that his teeth had once again lengthened into fangs. Illshya regarded him curiously.

"What's this?" she asked

"Nothing. I just really wanted you to stop talking," he replied, his voice low. Illshya smirked. Two could play that game.

"Well, if you really wanted me to stop talking," she started, reversing his hold on her wrist so she had control, turning everything in her favor, "You would've known to watch your back."

Two seconds later she had David pinned against the wall, one hand in his hair as she kissed him.

Absentmindedly his hands grabbed for her hips, pulling her closer against him, he growling as she tugged his hair, trying to pull herself up against him.

She broke the kiss when she felt him smile into it, his hands roaming down her body to pick her up, and the demon allowed her legs to wrap around his waist as he flipped them, balancing her against the wall as he pressed into her again, his lips finding her neck.

She couldn't help but give a soft moan in satisfaction at how quickly he'd played along; the pressure of his body against hers was clue enough, dancing with the hybrid at the club had started this and she was only prolonging it.

"Mhm – p-pet d-d-"

He laughed, "For the demoness of Hell, you're sure acting mortal."

"Mortal? Hm. It's a petty expression. I could stay quiet if I wished, it's more-"

She bit her lip and inhaled as he gently bit down, last words of the sentence coming out as a breathless whisper that only drove him crazy, "For you."

"Alright, hell that's it – there's a morgue here, where they store and prep the bodies…it's not by where Addie is, but – metal tables. Something to lie on."

Illysha made a noise of approval.

"Kinky."

Five minutes later his mind had said fuck it and he opted for one the carpeted display rooms, the demon flat on her back as he straddled her, her hands reaching up under his shirt to mark his chest and sides with scratches, shortly after he'd pulled her own shirt over her head.

How hadn't he bit her yet, he wasn't completely sur.-

And then, David realized how unsettling the whole situation was. The fact he was about to let a demon seduce him wasn't what was scaring him, however.

It was the fact that she looked like Amelia.

He just – he couldn't. There was so much that seemed familiar, too familiar for him to want to take it any further.

The demon really did like playing with his head, he realized as he looked at her – chest rising and falling in breathing that was elevated in anticipation, mouth half open in a sultry pant, green eyes completely glazed over in lust, hair having been rustled out of its braid into a now-messy ponytail.

When he seemed to freeze into his thoughts, Illshya bucked her hips and tried to sit up against him, surprised when he wouldn't look at her and got up off her, re-buttoning his jeans with an almost pitiful sigh.

"What's the matter, pet? Demon got your tongue?" she called after him, pulling the blouse back over her head with a smirk.

"I. I _can't."_

She knelt next to him when he sat on the steps towards the casket display, reaching to put one hand on his cheek, though he brushed her off.

"Ten minutes ago you had me pinned to the wall, what changed? You mortals are funny little creatures."

"Ten minutes ago I didn't realize how much you reminded me of Amelia, and if you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to go away."

Illshya laughed.

"Aw, pet. Going to throw me out so soon? Well, why don't you go on then? Go on home, I have to stay here for awhile, I have quite a surprise planned for the hybrid."

David's eyes widened.

"You promise to not hurt her!"

She shook her head.

"I only promised I wouldn't physically hurt her, pet. Mentally she can suffer all she wants, I don't care, it's fun."

"It's _fun? _I give up. I hate how you've controlled me – kidnapping Addie was the last thing I wanted to do, and the fact that you almost had me-"

"Oh you know you liked it. There's a darkside in everyone, pet. Even you can't hide from yourself. Now go on – go home then, like you wanted."

David turned to glare at the demon, standing as he looked at the dimensional portal she'd just created.

"Fine then, I will. And when I come back? I'll have my friends. We'll end you, once and for all."

"Oh, but pet…before you go…" here she moved faster than he could follow, standing face to face with him, one hand against his chest.

"Take a little piece of me with you." She grinned, and with that David suddenly felt her hand get insanely hot, to the point where he was sure he'd have a burn mark underneath the fabric, though it cooled shortly after as she waved with her other hand, pushing him into the portal with the other.

When he was gone and the door had closed, Illshya hummed to herself. He was completely under her control now, like it or not – that last exothermic reaction had sealed what his bite had started.


	30. Chapter 30

The next morning, everyone woke up around 10:00 a.m. The house was surprisingly quiet. As Chuck finished brushing his teeth, he walked past Mikey and Bob, who he greeted with a yawn.

"Still tired?" Mikey asked

"A little. I woke up in the middle of the night to go get water and when I did, I think David and AJ came back. He was acting kind of weird, though."

"How so?" Bob asked

"Well, when I walked into the living room, he was just kind of standing over Pierre, looking at him. At first I thought that he was just like, drawing on his face or something stupid like that, but now I'm not sure. The way he was looking at him...it really kind of creeped me out," Chuck admitted.

Mikey nodded. Before he could say anything else, there was a shout from the living room.

"Hey guys, I think you're going to want to take a look at this!" Pierre yelled

The three of them looked at each other and immediately ran to the living room. When they got there, they were confronted by a strange sight. Painted on the wall in a kind of red ink were a whole bunch of strange symbols.

"What is that?! Where did that come from?" Chuck asked

"I have no idea. I woke up and it was the first thing I saw," Pierre replied.

"What is it written in? It almost looks like…" Mikey said, trailing off.

Pierre got closer to the writing and stuck his finger in the ink. It was still slightly sticky.

"It's blood," he said, confused.

"Whose blood is it?" Chuck wondered, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer

Pierre licked the tip of his finger and made a face.

"It's mine," he said, even more confused than before.

"What do those strange symbols mean?"

"They're wizard runes. I've seen them before," Bob spoke up.

"So you can decode them?" Pierre asked

"Possibly, but it might take some time. I'm kind of rusty with my Ancient Runes."

Before anyone could say anything else, Sebastien had walked into the living room, having had a key to get into Pierre's.

"Guys, we have a _serious_ problem! Addie's gone! She went out last night and didn't come home; I figured she'd crash here, is she here?"

Everyone turned to look at him.

"No? I mean, we haven't seen her yet, and well, David's not here either – wait, didn't he say he'd take her dancing-" Mikey started.

"She told me she was going out by herself to check the places out." Seb cut in, before noticing Bob had rolled his eyes.

"She lied."

"Great. This is just –oh, duh, she's got her phone."

Grabbing his cell and dialing her number, he put it on speaker and was surprised when it went right to voicemail, meaning her phone was off.

_'Hey, it's Addie. If you're looking for me, I'll be at the show. Leave a message. C'est la vie!'_

Jeff was the first one to say something, being they'd all recognized the reference.

"Did she really-"

"Does that surprise you?"

"Why's her phone off? And where the hell is she? Do we think David's with her at least?" By this point Seb was freaking out, having remembered David had the connection to the demon.

Before anyone could say anything else, David walked through the front door. Seb immediately grabbed him and pinned him to the wall by the throat.

"Seb, what the hell?! What's going on?" David choked out

"Where's Addie?" he growled, baring his teeth

"I- I don't know w-what you're talking about!"

"Don't lie to me! We know that you took her out last night, so where is she?" he demanded

"I s-swear, I don't know!"

As Seb raised a clawed hand, Mikey and Jeff both stepped in and dragged the enraged Lycan away from the scared Airbender. David massaged his throat gently as he tried to get air back into his lungs.

"What happened last night?" Chuck asked, trying to diffuse the tension that had worked itself into the room

David shrugged. "Addie and I went out dancing last night, but after we got to the club, we both had a little too much to drink and I don't remember what happened. I'm sorry."

"That's it, I'm going to look for her. Mikey, come with me. I swear to god, David, when I get back, you had better be as far away from me as you possibly can be or else I might end up doing something I regret," Seb said as he began to pull on his shoes. He and Mikey left shortly thereafter.

The room was silent. David looked around at his friends and they all had disapproving looks on their faces. He looked down towards the floor.

"I think Seb is right, David. You kind of just fucked up majorly. I think it's best if you just stay away for today, wait until Seb cools down. If he goes after you, I'm not sure there's anything that any of us would be able to do to stop him," Chuck said, putting a hand on David's shoulder.

David nodded. He went into the room where he had been staying and began to pack a bag. From under his bed, he retrieved some tools that he had put there a few nights ago. Illshya would be pleased with how things were developing. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he walked back out of the room. Everyone else was still out in the living room, talking. When he walked in, all conversation halted.

"So, I guess I'll see you guys later," he said sadly.

"It's only for a day. You'll be okay. Call us if you hear from Addie at all," Pierre said as he hugged him.

"I will."

With that, he turned on his heels and walked out of Pierre's house. As he walked down the driveway, his phone rang. It was an unlisted number.

"How are things?" came Illshya's voice

"Everything is going according to plan," he replied.

"Excellent. I shall see you soon, pet."

* * *

Back inside, everyone was scratching their heads, trying to figure out what the symbols meant.

"Okay, so we know that the symbols on the wall are wizard runes, we know that they're written in blood, and that the blood is Pierre's. We still don't know who did it, why they did it, or when they did it," Bob said.

Everyone nodded.

"Well, if you think about it, it would have had to have been last night, because there was nothing on the wall when I went to bed, and it was there as soon as I woke up. I just want to know how they managed to get my blood without me waking up," Pierre added as he stretched his arms over his head.

"Wait, Pierre, look at your left wrist. There's a mark," Chuck said.

Pierre turned his wrist over and sure enough, there was a scar. It was a thin, white line about three inches long.

"That looks like the scars that Sebastien got after the demon poisoned him. Do you think she had anything to do with it?" Jeff asked

Bob scoffed. "I wouldn't doubt it, but she doesn't seem like the type to get her hands dirty. I wouldn't be surprised if she had someone else working for her."

"Someone like David?" Chuck questioned

Everyone turned to look at him.

"No, no, see David wouldn't do something like this! He just wouldn't!" Pierre exclaimed

"Not by himself, he wouldn't. Don't forget, he has a connection with the demon, and I wouldn't be surprised if that connection allows her to take control over him. Besides, last night, he was acting really weird. I got up at about 3 a.m. to get a glass of water and he was out here just standing over you, Pierre. I asked him what he was doing and he wouldn't answer me. It freaked me out."

As Pierre opened his mouth to protest, Chuck raised his hand for silence.

"Now, I'm not blaming David, but right now, that is the only plausible explanation we have. We just have to be careful around him. That's all I'm saying."

Pierre sat down and put his head in his hands. It was too much for him.

"Anyway, Bob, you said that you can translate these runes?" Jeff asked, changing the subject

Bob nodded. "It's going to take a while, though. It's been a long time since I studied Ancient Runes. It's a class that not many people take as a part of their magical education. I'll be back. I need to go get several books if I'm going to translate this whole thing."

He Apparated away and returned almost a half hour later carrying several large tomes. He sat down in front of the wall and began paging through the books.

"So these runes, are they words? Are they letters?" Chuck asked

"Well, it could be either. Sometimes, the rune stands for a single letter, sometimes a whole word, and sometimes, it just stands for an idea, which is why it takes such a long time to translate them. Just glancing over these right now, there is one that I can recognize and it doesn't give me a good feeling. See this one that looks like a lowercase r with two dots on either side of it? That particular one means 'death', and if this message came from Illshya, that makes me incredibly nervous."

* * *

After Mikey and Seb had left Pierre's, they went to all of the possible local hotspots where Addie might possibly be. While Mikey managed to remain calm, Seb was freaking out.

"Do you think we should call the police, file a missing persons report? Should we call someone for help? What should we do?!" he demanded, tearing at his hair in frustration

Mikey put a hand on his shoulder.

"Seb, calm down, okay? We're going to find her. Besides, you're thinking about this too much like a man and not enough like a Lycan. Have you forgot everything that Lucian taught you? You know what she smells like, right? Close your eyes and concentrate. Isolate her smell from everything else and see if you can find her."

Seb did as Mikey said and closed his eyes. He took several deep breaths and began to focus on Addie's scent. After a few moments, he was shocked to find that he could smell it and it wasn't far away. He immediately spun on his heels and took off running, Mikey not far behind him. The smell led him to an alleyway.

It confused him to no end! It smelled just like her, but she was nowhere to be found. Eventually, sticking out from a garbage can, Mikey found a jacket that had belonged to her. Before he could say anything, Seb had raced off because he had smelled her scent again. When Mikey got there, Seb was holding a shirt that had belonged to her. Just as he turned to run off again, her scent filling his nostrils, Mikey grabbed him by the arm.

"Seb, stop! Don't you see? The demon is just playing with us! She's doing this intentionally, leading us in the wrong direction by giving us pieces of Addie's clothing. She's not here. This isn't going to get us anywhere, so let's just go back to Pierre's."

Disappointed, the two of them returned to Pierre's.

"Where's David?" Seb asked as soon as he walked in

"He's gone. We sent him away because we didn't need another fight breaking out," Chuck replied, eating some pizza.

"Any luck with the runes?" Mikey asked, coming up behind Bob

"Well, it would be going a lot better if you guys could stop talking! You're messing up my focus," he snapped.

For the next 10 hours, everyone sat in complete silence. Bob poured over the books that he had brought and wrote several things down on a piece of paper only to crumple it up in frustration moments later. He was surrounded by piles of books and crumpled bits of paper. Finally, shortly after midnight, after everyone was already dozing off, he let off a small bang from the end of his wand, startling everyone awake.

"What's wrong?" Pierre asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I think I've finally cracked the code!" he said, wincing as he stood up to stretch his sore muscles

"Well, let's hear it!" Seb declared

"Okay, so first I just want to say that that was the most difficult code I've ever tried to crack. A lot of those runes were ancient so I had to consult some really old books, but I finally got it. It says, 'Not dead which eternal lie. Stranger eons, Death may die. Drain you of your sanity. Face the Thing That Should Not Be."

"Metallica? Really?" Mikey asked

Bob nodded. "It turns out, Metallica was really into some demonic worship stuff early on in their career."

"That's great Bob, but what exactly does that mean?" Seb wondered

"I was getting to that. See, I actually figured out the code about 6 hours ago. That was the easy part. It was more difficult to try and figure out what she meant by this. It was like a giant puzzle. I started off with the first line, 'Not dead which eternal lie'. Technically when you die, you are supposed to stay dead for all eternity. Which got me thinking. Everything that has happened to us started with a death. Amelia died four years ago and she was supposed to stay dead if it wasn't for the demon's plan, which then ties into the line, 'Stranger eons, Death may die'. As for the sanity part of it, we all know that this is really affecting David and to a lesser extent Addie, and I'm sure that could they articulate what the demon was doing to them, they would say that they are feeling like they are going insane. As for the last line, and I had to go back _really_ far to get this one, The Thing That Should Not Be was a nickname given to Illshya by one of the other Great Demons. So the way that I see the last line, it's a challenge. She's challenging us to come and find her and confront her."

"Okay, so do you know where she's keeping her?" Chuck asked, failing to see the relevance

"At first, I was pretty confused and I didn't know where to find her, but then I noticed that in the corner of the message, she wrote out some satellite coordinates. I typed them into a GPS and as it turns out, it's the same building in Chicago where we had the funeral for Amelia," Bob finished, his face grim.

Seb's stomach dropped. After everything that had happened, he didn't know if he would be able to go back there.

"Well, let's get some sleep and we'll regroup tomorrow and decide what we want to do. Sound okay?" Mikey asked

Everyone nodded and tried to fall asleep.


	31. Chapter 31

Complete darkness is all she sees when she wakes up, and for a fleeting moment, it's a comforting thought to think she's dead, that all of this might be over at last.

Stretching her hands out in front of her, she's surprised when they hit something solid, like – a lid, almost. Putting a little effort into pressing her palms against the wood, it swings open to reveal cold air and grey surroundings, with a musty smell that seemed all too familiar from a waterlogged basement.

If this was hell, it sure wasn't anything like she'd imagined.

Sitting up, she looked around, regrettably noticing she was still in her dress from the club. And then she remembered her phone.

Reaching for it, she was surprised to find David hadn't taken it, he hadn't even bothered to take the battery out!

Checking the voicemail, she felt worse and worse as they went on – Seb had called her four or five times, Chuck twice, Jeff once, and then a flurry of texts from Pierre.

"Guess they figured out I'm gone." She sighed, getting up from the thing she been in.

Turning around to look at it, she realized with horror, it had been a coffin, and the familiar smell, the grey paint – she was in a funeral home.

Steadying herself enough to walk upstairs, she took a deep breath as she wrenched the door open, to which it came clear off the hinges, the wood having decayed.

This building hadn't been used it years.

And the only funeral home she knew that had would even be like this was the one where – "The demon wasn't kidding when she said she was going to fuck with my head. Taking my to the place where w had the ceremony for Amelia's going to really cause some mental damage after I get out of here. Maybe if I just wait here the boys'll find me…heh, the boys…even after all that I've still got a group now. And they're not trying to kill- well, okay, last night was a mistake."

Laughing to herself, she began to walk down the deserted hallway, intending to explore while she waited for anyone to show up, confident she was alone.

Walking into one of the display rooms, instantly her memory is in front of her, it's like she's gone back in time.

The little blonde running around the room couldn't have been older than eight or nine; and the tear tracks on her face made it painfully obvious that the person in the casket had meant something to her.

The sandals were the first thing that stuck out, she'd worn these time and time again to 'fancy' events, and had grown up out them soon enough.

Walking farther into the room, she got a good look of who lay in the casket and gasped, the longing to see him alive again almost too much for her to stomach as the little girl approached the casket and leaned over to kiss the figure's cheek, a tiny, tear-choked voice whispering, "I miss you Grandpa."

Her stomach dropped as an all-too familiar song began to play from the small CD player that was in the room.

It was the same song that had initially caused her to turn into a furry when she had been playing guitar with Seb, and with a dawning realization she realized once again it was the singer that she was listening to as the piano played on the recording of MercyMe's I Can Only Imagine.

_"I can only imagine What it will be like  
When I walk By your side  
I can only imagine What my eyes will see  
When your face Is before me I can only imagine_

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel  
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still  
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall  
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all  
I can only imagine

I can only imagine When that day comes  
And I find myself Standing in the Son  
I can only imagine When all I will do  
Is forever Forever worship You I can only imagine…"

It was David, perched ontop of the now closed casket, _smiling._

"What kind of sick mindfuckery is this?! I LOVED HIM! HE WAS MY CHILDHOOD!" Addie yelled, taking a running start at the airbender, who simply disappeared into thin air, leaving her confused.

And suddenly the room was back to normal – empty, nothing and no one else was there but her.

Turning to walking down to the hallway, she could hear music playing, and more people talking. In fact, it sounded like –

Rose. Xena. Myeong.

Rushing out into the hall, she ran smack into Xena, who wrapped her arms around her in a hug.

"AJ! Come on, you've got two minutes and then you gotta walk!" she yelled, reaching for the zipper on the back of the red dress, when Addie remembered all the trouble they'd had zipping up her wedding dress…

"Walk? What do you mean-"

"Don't get cold feet now, William's waiting upstairs," Rose added with a smile, shoving a bouquet of flowers into Addie's hands, and she looked down at them and screamed.

They were lilacs and white roses, with baby's breath and purple carnations. Her wedding bouquet.

"Oh come on, it's not that scary…only took him nine years to get here." Meyong mentioned, smirking as she lifted one of Addie's legs, slipping a garter up it.

"But I- this isn't- you're all not- I'm fucking insane!" Addie protested as the girls lined up and began to ascend the stairs; Addie could hear Pachebel's Cannon playing.

"Love can do that to you, can't it, darling?" She froze, afraid to look behind her at all costs.

Turning anyways, she gave another scream at who it was, because, standing with blood covering his neck where she'd dislocated his head from his body; blood soaking the front of the white shirt under the suit jacket, was Brendon Urie, top hat from the I Write Sins video on his head.

She took off in the opposite direction, finding the music getting louder and louder the closer she got to the stairs.

When she finally hit the aisle, the song changed all together, and what it was nearly brought her to her knees, sobbing in a complete wreck.

Hearing the acoustic recording was enough - but with what song it was - neverminding that it _wasn't _William singing it, it was David again - but, oh, it still hurt.

_"I love it when you keep me up at night, Lie away until we bathe in the sunlight_

_And laugh about it when we lost track of time_

_I love it when we run around all day Slow it down, and collapse under the shade_

_Forget the world and get lost in your eyes, Wells may dry, but I know I_

_I always wanna feel this way I always wanna feel this way_

_Two young hearts about to bloom_

_If this is a dream, okay I don't ever wanna wake up_

_I'll just lie here next to you Hanging on a honeymoon_

_Let's get a room so we can lock the door,_

_And throw the key out of a third floor window_

_Grab the bucket, we can ice the champagne-"_

"I know you're in here, David. And I know you're watching me. And I'm letting you know right. now. If I even SEE you, I'm liable to commit murder tonight. The thing with my Grandpa was uncalled for, and really hurt - but this? SHOWING ME FLASHBACKS OF MY WEDDING?! I always had said if necessary I'd kill for him - as though he is dead, I'd still kill for his memory. Now that I know about the demon and what she's done to you - I don't like I'd feel so bad, doing to you what I did to Brendon. Nice touch, by the way. The top hat and all, being it was wedding. Very funny."

Somewhere in the darkness of the corners of the main room, from somewhere behind her, she heard David laugh, something that sounded so unlike himself that it unnerved her.

But it wasn't him that responded.

"Seeing as that poor groom's bride really _is _a whore by now, I thought it fitting. I'm glad you enjoyed the show, but it's not over."

Addie's eyes widened at the sound of the demon's voice, and then she immediately clamped her hands over her ears as it began singing, voice as accurate as Amelia's, which only made the impact of the song worse.

_"And what's the worst to take From every heart you break _

_And like the blade you stain Well, I've been holding on tonight_

_What's the worst thing I can say? Things are better if I stay_

_So long and goodnight So long not goodnight_

_And if you carry on this way Things are better if I stay_

_So long and goodnight So long and goodnight,"_

"NO! NO! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" The blonde hollered as she collapsed to her knees, debating if she could bang her head hard enough into the pew to knock herself unconscious in order to stop the torture.

That was another band breakup she _did NOT _need to be reminded of, Panic! and TAI alone had been hell by themselves, but to lose MCR a year later made William going solo seem like a papercut.

"Don't wanna hear it?" Illshya asked, sitting up from the coffin that was at the end of the aisle, realizing the song reference was probably only going to make the blonde more bothered than she already was.

"NO I FUCKING DON'T! YOU JUST - DO YOU KNOW _HOW _MANY YEARS IT TOOK TO HEAL THOSE WOUNDS?"

"Doesn't matter, time is trivial. The fourteen years you'd known your precious husband for dissapeared in the blink of eye when you slept with the lycan. How he survived the wounds I gave him I'd like to know. If anything, there's one thing I can count on - and it's what I told you before. I told you I'd break you, little one. And if you're screaming at me like this, I've almost done it."

"YOU HAVEN'T BROKEN _ANYTHING _YET!"

"Have I? Look around."

Addie turned around on the spot, seeing everyone and anything she'd ever enjoyed being twisted into something dark, something so far removed from who it had been - and one person in particular had changed the most.

It was Amelia - the regular one, the non-demon, back when they were at Barrington High. Before Spring break.

Addie almost ran up and hugged her, before Amelia changed before her eyes, green eyes turning black, the wound Pierre had given her to cause her death appearing to stain her clothes with blood, her lips moving in some word she couldn't make out. And then suddenly, within seconds, that Amelia was a skeleton, the way she should have been if she was dead, not the demon's host.

At the sound of muffed sobs, Addie turned to see another version of herself, before her looks changed, although she saw the illusion William trying to comfort her other self - before her other self smirked and twisted his head off with her bare hands, laughing as she hummed 'Can't Keep My Hands Off You'.

Addie screamed and curled up as tight as she could where she sat, wrapping her arms around herself, trying to bury her face, unwilling to watch anymore of the horror around her.

At this point however, the demon had walked forward and knelt by her, though she was smiling at seeing the hybrid's sanity on its last legs.

"See? It could be worse. I could have shown you who would really hurt you. I could make it so you never want to be near him again - and although I think that could be fun, I find amusement in his petty attempts to comfort you after I have my fun. My pet did so well these past few days, didn't he? Kidnapping you and drugging you - he had me promise not to hurt you, yes he did. But I haven't, you said so yourself. You haven't broken anything yet. I'm so glad we had such fun..."

"LEAVE ME ALONE! I JUST- WHEN THE GUYS COME FIND ME WE'RE GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

Illshya snorted at the shakiness of the statement, reaching a hand out to ruffle her straightened hair, noticing the tan tipped-brown ears had popped back out through her hair and one of the girl's eyes was bright blue like the lycan's.

"Oh, sweetheart, you can _try."_


	32. Chapter 32

The next morning, everyone woke up ready to go find Addie. After eating breakfast and gathering supplies, they were ready to set out.

"Do you think we should call David?" Chuck asked 

"No. Leave him behind. I don't care. He's partially responsible for this anyway," Seb said firmly. 

"Hey now, we don't actually know that he did this. All I said was that we need to be careful around him," Chuck said, defending David. 

"We don't have time to wait for him to catch up. We need to leave." 

No one could argue with that. Reluctantly, they set off to the airport, having decided to take a plane down to Chicago instead of just Apparating. They needed time to plan their strategy. When they touched down in Chicago a few hours later, they had a clear plan in mind. They were going to do whatever it took to take down Illshya, even if that meant killing her host body. After departing from the airport and stopping for lunch, they made their way to the funeral home. The sun was sinking lower in the sky the closer they got to the funeral home. As the last streaks of daylight faded from the sky, the funeral home was in sight. It looked a lot worse for wear than the last time they had been there. 

"It looks like it hasn't been used for years. That's probably why she chose this location," Bob remarked. 

As they walked closer, a sense of foreboding filled everyone and settled in their bones. Something bad was going to happen. They just didn't know what yet.

As they got closer to the building, they immediately went on the defense because they saw a figure coming from the building and walking towards them. Everyone struck a fighting pose only to realize that it was David.

"David? What are you doing here?" Chuck asked as he lowered his hands to his side

"I don't know. I kept seeing this place in my dreams last night and I knew that Illshya was leading me here," he replied.

"Oh, so you're on a first name basis with the demon now? How convenient," Seb sneered. David stared at him in shock. 

"What the hell is your problem, Seb?" David asked 

"How about the fact that you probably caused all of this?! I mean, you _do_ have a connection with the demon. Besides," Seb said as he walked closer to David, "I can smell Addie. I can smell her ALL OVER you! WHY?" he demanded, growling 

David visibly trembled and shrank back from Sebastien who had hate gleaming in his eyes.

"Seb, I swear to you, whatever happened last night, I have no idea! I told you, I don't remember what happened. If I did something last night that led to this, I swear to god, I had no idea what I was doing!" 

Before Seb could get any closer, Mikey put a hand on his shoulder. 

"That's enough. Let's just get Addie and get out of here. We'll worry about David later."

With a nod, Sebastien walked past David, but that didn't stop him from glaring at him. David fell into line behind Pierre, who had taken his shoes off in an effort to better sense the earth. They walked into the building ready to fight. Bob lit up the end of his wand and looked around the room.

"Should we split up?" Pierre asked

"I don't think that's a good idea. She's probably expecting us to do that. I think we should stick together," David suggested.

"Of course you would think that! You're probably working for her!" Seb exclaimed

"Seb, will you knock it off?! He's got a point. We're more vulnerable if we split up, so for now, let's just stick together," Bob said, effectively silencing Sebastien.

The group walked into the main parlour, expecting the worst. Thankfully, there was nothing. Concentrating, Sebastien tried to sense Addie's presence. He could hear something coming from below them.

"Wait, I can sense something. Hold on," Pierre said. He knelt down and placed his hands on the ground. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He could feel vibrations, as if someone were pounding right below them. 

"I think she's in the basement."

"Well, let's go then!" Sebastien declared as he rushed forward. He didn't get very far before the floor in front of him fell out. His foot got caught in the hole and he felt several bones in his ankle break as he leg twisted and he went down. He groaned in pain. Everyone immediately crowded around him. They helped to lift him out of the small hole. He sat on the ground, muttering curses.

Bob knelt down next to him and took a look at his ankle. He could see several bones bulging and the area was already bruised. He took a potion out of his bag and gave it to Sebastien. 

"That's some Skele-Gro. It'll help to expedite the healing process. Chuck, take care of the bruises," Bob instructed. 

Bending the water out of the flask at his hip, Chuck began to heal the bruises. After a few moments, Sebastien felt good enough to stand. He leaned against Mikey for support. He could feel his bones already trying to heal themselves. 

"This is why we need to be careful. This whole house is probably one giant booby trap," Bob remarked. 

Seeing as he was standing in the shadows, no one noticed the mischievous grin that flittered across David's face. Once Sebastien was up and walking again, they managed to find the entrance to the basement. Everyone moved cautiously, not wanting to take a risk after Sebastien's accident. They made it to the stairs without incident. The door was locked, but Jeff easily tore the door off of its hinges. Everyone stared into the depths of darkness that awaited them at the bottom of the stairs. They did _not_ get a good feeling.

"Hello? Addie? Are you down there?" Seb yelled from the top of the stairs

"I'm here!" came a muffled reply

Everyone made the careful descent down the stairs. On the far end of the basement was Addie, chained to a chair. Just as Seb made a motion to run towards her, Pierre held out a hand to stop him.

"Seb, wait. I feel something."

He raised his hands and separated the concrete floor in front of him. To everyone's surprise, there was a pit of spikes, also known as a Punji stick trap, not two feet from where Sebastien was. Another step and he would have had spikes in his foot. Making the earth whole again, Pierre sighed.

"Looks like she knew we were coming and set some traps for us. Be careful," Pierre said.

No sooner were the words out of his mouth that everyone heard a surprised gasp come from Chuck. Bob shined the light from his wand over to where Chuck stood and everyone gasped. Sticking out of his stomach was an arrow! A red stain appeared on the front of his shirt as he sank to his knees.

Bob immediately began working on trying to repair the damage.

"How? Where did that come from?" Mikey wondered

"Tripwire. I call it ghostwire. It's a piece of wire so thin and fine that not even the Earthbender would have been able to sense it," said a voice from the darkness.

The rest of them went on the defensive as Illshya stepped out of the shadows and illuminated the room with torches on the wall that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"YOU! You did this?" Sebastien asked

Illshya laughed. "If by this, you mean kidnap your precious little hybrid and then proceed to torture her mentally, then yes, I did. Although, I should really give credit where it is due. I certainly had a lot of help, especially with the traps. David really did quite a nice job on those, didn't he?"

Everyone turned to look at David.

"David, what is she talking about?" Pierre asked

David didn't say anything.

"Yes, he has been such a good pet lately. So loyal to me. Isn't that right, my pet?" Illshya asked as she beckoned him to her 

David walked over towards Illshya and she stroked his face with her hand almost endearingly.

"No, David wouldn't ever do anything like that! He just wouldn't!" Pierre yelled

This time it was David who laughed. His laugh sounded nothing like how it normally did and it creeped everyone out.

"What's so funny? Why are you laughing?" Bob demanded from where he sat on the floor next to Chuck

"I'm laughing at how stupid all of you are. So willing to trust me. It was a foolish mistake on your part. See, Illshya is right. I did help her. I'm the one who kidnapped Addie. I'm the one who wrote the runes on the wall in Pierre's blood that led you here. I'm the one who set the traps!" he said with a cruel smile

"No, no, no, NO! David, you have to listen to me. This isn't you. You would never do this! Please, listen to me!" Pierre pleaded and David laughed again

"See, that's where you're wrong, Pierre. This _is_ me! This is the dark side of me, the side which I hide away from the world. It just so happens that Illshya helped to bring it out of hiding."

"THAT'S IT! I've heard enough! I'm going to rip you apart!" Sebastien said with a fierce growl

He ran at David with the intent of ripping him apart. To everyone's surprise, Illshya stepped in front of him. Just as Seb was an arm's length away, she summoned a burst of hellfire, knocking him back a few steps. Mikey came up right behind him and advanced towards the demon, who fought him off with a sword, the same one she had used to kill William.

Shortly thereafter, everyone else, Chuck and Bob included, joined in on the fray. The demon, however, fought all of them off like it was nothing. David stood still, taking everything in. Eventually, they decided to change up their tactic and while Pierre, Chuck, Mikey, and Jeff fought the demon, Bob and Sebastien worked to free Addie. She was just barely conscious and Sebastien could see a set of bite marks on her neck, still fresh. Just as he and Bob had managed to free Addie, there was a strangled scream from where the fighting was taking place. Sebastien turned his head just in time to see the demon impale Pierre with her sword.

Finally, as if snapping out of a stupor, David sprung into action, summoning a huge blast of wind that blindsided the demon, knocking her into the wall. He walked forward towards Pierre and gripped the sword in his hands as if he was going to try and remove it. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, which only caused David to smirk.

He tightened his grip on the sword and instead, thrust it deeper into the wound, burying it up to the hilt. Pierre screamed in pain. David put a hand on Pierre's shoulder to steady himself.

"Tell me something, Pierre. What hurts more? The sword that's currently stabbing you through the stomach, or the fact that I'm the one doing it?" he asked, his lips gently ghosting over Pierre's ear

"You…..you…" was all Pierre could muster, the pain being too much. Blood dripped out of Pierre's mouth and David licked his lips. It sickened everyone. They couldn't believe that this was happening. 

The room was still for a moment before Bob and Mikey snapped into action.

"David! Stop! Let him go!" Bob commanded

David turned to look at him, his hand still gripping the sword.

"No."

"David, I swear to god, you'd better let him go or I'll curse you," Bob said, brandishing his wand. 

When David made no move to let Pierre go, Bob raised his wand and yelled, "CRUCIO!"

At once, David's limbs seized up as pain radiated through his entire body. He grimaced, but it was quickly replaced by a smile.

"Is that the best you've got?" David asked

With a feral growl, Mikey jumped forward and shifted into his Lycan form. He bore down on David, who managed to dodge everything except for a swipe to the face. Mikey managed to claw his cheek. David flicked his tongue out, catching the blood as it ran down his cheek. While he was temporarily stopped, Bob threw all of the curses he knew at him, rendering David unconscious.

Before the demon could do anything else, Bob used the last of his strength to Apparate everyone, Sebastien and Addie included, out of the funeral home and back to Pierre's house. 

Laughing, the demon walked over to David and worked to heal the wound on his face. She placed a kiss on his forehead and carried his unconscious form up the stairs, humming a melody as she went. 


	33. Chapter 33

The moment that everyone arrived back at Pierre's, they sprang into action. Jeff got on the phone and called Patrick, who was there within minutes. Seb placed Addie on the couch, who was fading in and out of consciousness. Chuck helped Pierre to lay on the floor as Bob began to summon a multitude of objects. He immediately removed the sword and then he and Patrick worked quickly to cauterize and heal the wound. Once the wound was healed, Chuck allowed Pierre to feed from him in order to regain his strength and improve the healing process.

Then Patrick and Bob began to work on healing Addie, who, other than being slightly shaken and with minimal blood loss, was relatively unscathed. Bob gave her a sleeping potion to help. Seb sat next to her and refused to leave her side. No one spoke.

"That demon do something again?" Patrick asked after a few moments after everything had seemed to calm down.

Everyone shot him a look.

"You have no idea. And it's not just her – she's got an accomplice now as well." Bob explained, figuring it was just easy to keep the answers short.

"Like what, some low life scum she's got under her control?"

"Actually, it's David."

"O-Oh…shit. That's not good."

"Thank you captain obvious," Addie mumbled, half asleep, her head resting on Seb's shoulder.

"Shouldn't you be asleep? I didn't think the dosage of that sleeping potion's right, Bob…"

"It wasn't meant to knock her out, just relax her a bit. Like valium or Xanax."

She giggled, trying to sit up, not surprised when she felt Seb wrap one of his hoodies around her, being

she was still in her dress from the club, although a blanket was covering her legs.

"Those were the days…those drugs were fffuuunnnnn. Speaking of drugs –" she giggled again, clearly affected by the whole ordeal.

She turned look at Sebastien, who look at her expectantly.

_Can I talk to you alone? Uh, in the room we slept in before…I'd rather just tell you._

He nodded, "Guys, she wants to talk to me alone…we're fine, trust me." Getting up, he made sure the blanket was wrapped around her before he lifted her into his arms, happy to just be able to feel her in his arms.

As they walked back down the hall, Pierre grinned.

"HE HAD A BROKEN ANKLE FIFTEEN MINUTES AGO ADDIE DON'T BE TOO ROUGH!"

"PIERRE I'M GOING TO BREAK YOU IF YOU DON'T SHUT UP!" they heard her yell back before the

door slammed shut.

The minute that did, Addie smiled and immediately wound a hand into Seb's hair as she kissed him, knowing he wasn't going to drop her.

As soon as she broke the kiss, he set her down on the bed and waited for her to say something.

Instead, she only smiled and stood up, shrugging out of the mess the blanket had created and the hoodie he'd half tied around her, slipping the dress off in one move, stumbling slightly before she realized he had his hands on her side to steady her.

Seeing her in the dress had only started things, and regardless of his formerly busted ankle and the fact that the sleeping potion probably still was affecting her, he _wanted_ her.

Picking her up and setting her down so she was standing on the floor, he couldn't keep himself from standing close enough that he could still feel the heat coming off her body due to the stress of what she'd gone through.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asks, caressing her cheek with his thumb, somehow managing to force words out his should-be occupied mouth, his knows he shouldn't be thinking what he is, but he can't help it at this point.

"So…uhm, the nightmare - the demon...she told me she was going to mentally break me, and she kinda did at the funeral home. And then there's the stuff about the drugs…so I went dancing…with David. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to worry…turns out I probably should've – because he…he's under the demon's control, she made him…he drugged me." She admitted, voice soft, looking anywhere but his face.

"He. WHAT?!"

She actually flinched, as it she was expecting him to hit her.

"Slipped something in my drink at the club, that's how I got these-" she lifted a hand to brush her hair away from her neck, the blood from the bite marks having dried.

Looking up at him, she put a finger to her lip, biting the nail slightly, trying to not look like she knew what she was asking for.

"Believe me, I'd _much _rather it'd been you. Or do I have to have you make me pancakes and accidentally set your hand in maple syrup for that to happen again?"

It was two seconds before his lips were against hers and he'd pushed her to the bed, her nails elongating to claws to quite literally shred the shirt he had on.

She giggled as her head found a pillow, realizing her wolf ears were back, so her eye must've changed again, her body already aching for his skin against hers.

"Mon cheri…vous avez tout de moi, vous ne devriez pas avoir besoin de demander. Je veux que vous aussi mauvais comme vous pensez, si ce n'est pire." And like before, his mouth had found her neck like the first night, and he'd bit down, her resulting howl sealing the answer to her own question.

"Damn. See? Told you that would happen," Pierre snickered as Mikey complained, "Great, how the fuck are _any _of us supposed to sleep _now?_"

"Ignore it?" 

Bob scoffed. 

"If you think that I'm going to sit here and listen to those two go at it for god knows how long, you're wrong. I'll be right back," he said, standing up. 

He made his way down the hallway and tried to completely ignore the noises that were coming from the room. Raising his wand, he began to cast several nonverbal spells. After a moment, he smiled. He couldn't hear anything coming from the other side of the door. Walking back down the hall, he sat back down next to Mikey. 

"Hear that?" he asked 

Everyone strained their ears, trying to hear something.

"I don't hear anything," Jeff replied.

"Exactly. Nonverbal silencing spells. They can be as loud as they want and we won't hear a thing. Can't say the same for any of the neighbors, though."

"Can I just say how glad I am that you're here?" Chuck said with a small laugh

"Oh believe me, it's only going to get worse between the two of them, so I'm glad Bob did that. Aftereffect of the full moon. At least the moon is waning now," Mikey remarked.

It was quiet for a moment before Patrick asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Guys, what are you going to do about David?" 

"Seeing as the demon's got control of him, the logically path of action is to first break him of her control. How that's to be done is the hard part." Bob explained.

"Well, there's always exorcism," Pierre suggested, mind wandering to the season-long binges of a particular tumblr fandom.

"You really need to quit watching Supernatural. It's ironic enough that most of that's real, we just don't have an angel on our side."

"Yet."

"You don't really thin-" Jeff started.

"Just saying, with everything that's happened, wouldn't surprise me if Addie's got wings she's not telling us about."

Everyone just shrugged it off, realizing it sounded like something meant to lighten the mood after the insane rescue mission that had ended in the betrayal of one of their own.

"Ok, no more nightblogging for you. And on that note, guys, we should probably all go to bed."

"Agreed." 

After Patrick left, everyone fell into a much-needed sleep. Bob rolled over on the bed and cast another silencing spell to drown out Mikey's light snoring. Soon, he fell into a blissful and welcome sleep. As he began to dream, he knew that something was different about this dream. He was back in his own house, yet he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched. As he walked past the mirror in the hallway, he saw a man standing behind him. He jumped and immediately pulled out his wand. Spinning around, he discovered there was no one there. Looking back in the mirror, he saw that the figure was still there. It confused him to no end. He reached a hand out and touched the mirror. To his surprise, the mirror rippled like water and at once he felt himself falling.

He stood up and brushed himself off and found himself in a lush landscape, filled with green vegetation and colorful flowers. What the hell kind of dream was he having?

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of trees rustling. He wheeled around and pointed his wand at the bush.

"Who's there?" he demanded

"Relax, it's just a rabbit," said a voice to his left.

Bob turned around and standing to his left was the man he had seen in the mirror. This man, though, didn't look like anyone Bob had ever seen before. He was tall with white armor that seemed to emit a glowing light. A large pair of white wings were folded up on his back. A black helmet covered his eyes and he carried a staff.

"Who are you?" Bob asked, staring in wonder

"Think, wizard. You know who I am. You've heard the legends about me," the figure replied.

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Bob realized that he _did_ know who it was that stood before him.

"Orion," he replied with a slight bow.

"Very good. You are very wise." 

"What is this? Is this your doing?" Bob asked, gesturing to the world around him

"Relax, this is only a dream. Besides, I am here to ask for your help. Come, walk with me," Orion said as he turned to walk down a path. Bob reluctantly followed him.

"My help? Why do you need my help?" Bob asked, struggling to keep pace with the demon

"By now, I'm sure you've realized that my sister has taken additional liberties with her plan for revenge. What she has done to the Lycan's mate and his friend was something that was never supposed to happen. She is tempting fate and I am not pleased." 

"You know about everything she's done? How? I thought you were blind," Bob replied, referencing the helmet that obscured Orion's vision

"Though I do not have my sight, that does not mean that I am not aware of everything that is going on in the world. As the demon of the sky, it is my job to ensure the balance between worlds. Illshya is upsetting the balance and needs to be stopped," Orion replied, stopping to rest beneath a large tree. 

Almost as if sensing Bob's next question, he continued. "My current state, however prevents me from doing anything at the present moment. Demons are not allowed to exist in their true physical forms and need a host body. That is where you come in. I am in need of a host, and I can sense a powerful magic energy in you. I think that you would be a suitable host. I need to stop my sister before she truly upsets the balance of the world."

"How do I know I can trust you? You're a demon, after all," Bob replied.

"I give you my word that this is all in earnest. There are no tricks here. My sister is the trickster, not me. Besides, remember the legends you have heard about me. Am I allowed to lie?"

Bob racked his brain, trying to remember the legends of the demons he had read. 

"No," he said at last. "You are the supreme ruler and you are bound to honesty. That's why you carry the Staff of Justice." 

Orion smiled. "Very good, wizard." 

"If you are going to possess me, when will it happen? I need to talk it over with everyone else." 

"I shall give you two weeks time. As we speak, the Airbender's soul is dying. It is being corrupted by my sister and soon, there will be nothing left of your friend. The summer solstice is in a month and if my sister still has control over the half-vampire on the eve of the solstice, his soul will be lost to her forever. Now, return to the land of waking and tell the others of my proposal. If you accept, I will know and I will visit you in another dream. Good luck," Orion said as the scene around Bob began to fade. He opened his eyes and sat up. Mikey was nowhere to be found and sunlight was streaming through the blinds. He put his head in his hands and sighed. Things were about to get even more complicated.


	34. Chapter 34

He walked out into the living room. Everyone else, Seb and Addie included, were sitting around talking. Jeff handed him a plate of food and he took a seat on a chair. 

"Are you okay?" Mikey asked as soon as he sat down

Bob looked at him strangely.

"I'm fine. Why?"

"Oh nothing. You were just sleeping really deeply last night. I had to make sure you were still breathing because I could barely hear your heartbeat," he replied, eating a piece of bacon.

"No, I'm fine. I just had a really weird dream, that's all."

At the mention of a dream, everyone stopped and looked at him.

"Is this going to be as bad as what I think it will be?" Chuck asked

Bob nodded. 

As soon as he had finished his breakfast, he cleared his throat and began his tale. 

"I was visited in my dream last night by Orion."

At the mention of the demon's name, everyone seemed to become restless.

"Hear me out, though. What you have to understand about Orion is that he, despite being a demon, is not inherently evil. He is the demon of the sky and he is bound to truth and honesty. Illshya is the trickster demon, thus why she reigns over the Underworld. Anyway, we started talking and he gave me some pretty bad news. Apparently with everything that Illshya has done, it's upsetting the balance of the world and he needs to stop her. The only way he can do that is by possessing someone, and he wanted to possess me, because he said that I would be a good host. But that's not all. He said that we need to stop Illshya so that we can save David. The way he explained it is that she is currently in possession of his soul, and it's literally killing him. If we don't stop her by the summer solstice, which is in a month, David is going to be lost to us forever," Bob said, his face grim. 

"Why the solstice though? What's so important about that day?" Seb asked 

"The solstice is the day when the doorways between our world and the spirit world are closest together. Once the sun sets on that day, David will lose his soul and there won't be anything we can do about it."

Everyone was quiet, not knowing what to say. Bob had just dropped a bomb on all of them.

"Hey Bob, so if Orion is going to possess you, doesn't that mean you're going to have to die?" Seb asked, bringing up a good point. 

Bob took a deep breath. That was a topic he was hoping to avoid for the time being. 

"I'm not sure. I know that demons have the ability to posses living bodies, but it requires more energy on their part. I don't know. I haven't even really agreed to it yet."

"Do we have much of another choice? I mean, we've already seen that we can't defeat Illshya on our own. And plus, David's life is on the line! We can't just let him die!" Pierre exclaimed 

"Besides, if we don't stop her, who will? Things are just going to get worse from here and if Orion is offering help, I think we should take it," Chuck added.

Bob sighed. He had to admit, they were right.

"So it's settled, then. I'll willingly offer myself to Orion so that we can get rid of Illshya once and for all. If that's going to happen though, I think you guys need to understand a little bit more about the demons. I'll be right back," Bob said as he stood up. He Apparated away and returned again with several large books.

"Really Bob? More books?" Addie asked as she picked up an ancient looking scroll and twirled it in her hand. 

"Yes, really, and be careful! Some of these books are thousands of years old!" he admonished, grabbing the scroll from her hands and placing back next to him. He dragged a chair to the center of the room and began to page through the books, refreshing his memory. After a few moments of silence, he distributed the books among everyone and took a deep breath. 

"Okay, so the first thing that you have to understand about both Illshya and Orion is that they are as old as time. When the earth was first created, its first inhabitants were not humans and they weren't even dinosaurs. They were demons, and they came in many different sizes and shapes. Of all of the demons, there were 12 known as the Great Demons, the rulers of the world. Each of the 12 ruled over a different domain. The two that we are concerned about are obviously Illshya and Orion. It is said that when darkness first blanketed the earth, Illshya was born, and when the sun rose to banish the darkness, that is when Orion came to be. The two are brother and sister but they are exact opposites. Whereas Orion is the personification of all that is good in the world, Illshya is evil incarnate. Both are incredibly intelligent," he started.

"Okay, but we basically knew all of that already. What else you got?" Sebastien asked

"I'm getting to that. Anyway, Orion is sometimes known as the demon of blind justice. He gets that name because he is blind. It is said that when he and Illshya were children, she once poured acid into his eyes out of boredom and laughed as he screamed in pain. He wears a black helmet to conceal his scars. Being the demon of the sky, he is also bound to truth and honesty because he carries what is known as the Staff of Justice. It prevents him from telling a lie and allows him to pass final judgment on a person's soul."

"What do you mean, final judgment?" Mikey asked

"Well, when a person dies, their soul ascends to the Kingdom of the Sky, which is where Orion reigns. He uses the Staff of Justice to judge their actions in life which tells him whether they are allowed to be admitted to the Kingdom of the Sky or whether Illshya gets to claim their soul in the Underworld. The Kingdom of the Sky and the Underworld are pretty much like heaven and hell. Anyway, Orion was the ultimate ruler of the 12 Great Demons and in the Kingdom of the Sky, there's a book known as the Annals of Time, a book that keeps a record of all events, past, present and future. To try and meddle with this book is dangerous, because it could upset the very balance of the world as we know it." 

"Which is what Illshya is trying to do," Pierre said. 

Bob nodded. "Yes. What she's doing to David goes against everything that is supposed to happen and if we don't stop her, it could very well destroy our world. Speaking of Illshya, she has a very interesting history herself. She, like her brother, is extremely intelligent, but she is also very cunning and is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her means, even if that includes killing, torturing, or manipulating people. She is an excellent strategist and a very strong fighter, as we've already seen. She is also well versed in the art of seduction and it's said that the literary archetype of the temptress was based on her. In fact, I've read several books that were dedicated to her sordid trysts and multiple affairs."

Bob desperately tried to ignore the suggestive grin that Pierre was giving him, but he failed and smirked. 

He cleared his throat. "Anyway, she is the ruler of the Underworld and she uses the souls of those who were sent to the Underworld to do her bidding for all eternity, which is probably what is going to happen to David if we don't stop her." 

"Do you think that Orion will be able to stop her?" Chuck asked 

Bob nodded. "I'm confident that he will be able to. In the legends, he was the only one who was ever able to control her when she got too out of hand." 

"So why does he need to possess you, though? Why can't he just do it himself?" Mikey wondered 

"Well, there was this battle known as the Great Demon War, which was actually started by Illshya. She caused two of the other Great Demons to become enamoured with her, and as men usually do, the two started fighting about it. The battle raged for almost a millenium with all of the demons on earth taking sides. Well, when Orion found out that his sister was behind the war, he was not too happy and he made the decree that no demon shall be able to exist in its true physical form ever again, thus necessitating that they possess human hosts. He also banished her to the Underworld for almost 2,000 years, and when she came back, she found that the world had changed and that she needed to possess a human host. Oh yeah, I also forgot to mention that during the solstice, the doorways between our world and the Underworld are closest together, meaning that once the sun sets on that day, she will be able to drag David's soul to the Underworld with her, and he'll be lost forever. I think that's just about all you guys need to know right now. Any questions?" Bob finished, looking around the room

"Yeah, I've got one. Anybody else feel like they need a drink?" Pierre asked, standing up.

When David opened his eyes, it was morning; he found himself lying in the coffin in the display room, the lid open.

"Nice to see you awake, pet." Illshya sat on the lid part that wasn't open, balancing, legs swinging like a child's.

"Should I not be?" he questioned, maneuvering himself out of the coffin and standing, stretching his arms above his head, not surprised when she turned to face him, sliding along the top, grinning.

"After yesterday? Impressive, how you turned on them – twisting the hilt into the earthbender, I didn't think you'd do it. You've come a long way from the club…though I'm still surprised how our last so called- typical human interaction ended…" she trailed off, he could almost hear the hurt in her voice.

_Or was she playing games with him again?_

"If you didn't look so much like her, I don't think that would've been a problem." David admitted.

Illshya actually smiled, having had a comeback ready.

"And yet you were able to drink from the hybrid without a second thought."

"That wasn't my choice…you were controlling me."

She slipped off the lid and landed softly on her feet, walking towards him after rolling her eyes at his logic.

"Was I when you were dancing with her? Your hands on her hips, your lips against her neck and then her own? She didn't even have to ask, you know full well you wanted to."

With every word, the demon's voice grew more accusatory, her eyes staring into David's own intently until finally he put a hand behind her head and pulled her to him, completely ignoring her feigned squeak of protest.

"My, how things change." She teased, hands moving to his sides, walking him back against the wall. This time she was ending things her way.

And before he knew it, it seemed he'd forgotten the issue from the few nights before, and the two lay wrapped up in each other's arms on the floor, bite marks and bloodstains littering her body, claw marks and a head full of feather-soft brunette hair resting on his chest.

His eyes are closed; he's just lost in wonder, how exactly could she have changed him like this? Two months ago, he was fine with doing this sort of thing with any girl, and now – the thought of not being by her side made his head spin.

Now he knew exactly what Sebastien had meant when he mentioned imprinting – and as twilightish as the term was, the concept actually existed. It was unusual for it to happen so quickly – sometimes it was at first sight, as it had been with him and Amelia, broken once she'd, well, died four years ago. With Addie it'd been sensory, because he had said the second his hand had slipped on the plate he knew.

But still.

Love was a funny thing, for both mortals and immortals alike, and for once David thought he knew what it was- _"BOO!"_

The scene shattered, the voice brought David out of the dream with a start, he tried to sit up and had smacked his head on the lid of a coffin, and this one wasn't open.

_Hell. That had been a dream._


	35. Chapter 35

The lid swung open a few seconds later. Sitting up, David realized Illshya was perched on top like in the dream, smiling.

Catching the look on his face at the similarity to the dream, she laughed.

"Have a nice dream, pet? I still haven't forgiven you for how our last…close encounter ended. Although last night may begin to make up for it, if I'm feeling merciful. Now come on, out of the coffin. We've got quite a lot to do today."

'_Yeah, including you, sweethea- woah. What the hell? Why am I thinking THAT?'_

Mind still reeling from the dream, he nodded, trying to make his thoughts connect. Had the dream been her trying to tell him something?

"I'll make it up to you." He says suddenly, voice determined.

And before she had time to react, he'd leaned in and kissed her. To his surprise, she'd given in, mouth falling victim to his own, he biting softly at her bottom lip, enough to get her sounding like before in a few seconds, a soft moan escaping her lips.

When she finally manages to pull back, her eyes are wide and she slips off the lid with a faint murmur of a line of lyrics he actually recognizes.

"We'll leave no heart unbroken, isn't that right? How you helped with the hybrid, the fact you've betrayed your friends…"

He climbs out of the coffin, stretching before turning to her, seeing her standing off to the side, about two feet from the nearest wall, had he to admit she looked like she expected him to throw her up against it – like the dream.

Walking towards her, one arm looped around her waist to pull her closer as she reached up a hand to set it on the cheek that had been scratched the night before that she'd healed.

"And to think…_it's all for me. _You don't see what I've done for you, David, do you?"

He does a double take at hearing her say his name, this is the first time she hasn't called him 'pet' in – well, it's the first time, isn't it?

"It doesn't matter anymore, or atleast, the others don't." he can hear the voice in the back of his head telling himself he's wrong, that playing into the demon's arms is the last thing he needs to be doing, but it's a little too late to take anything back now.

"Oh, but it does! I've freed your darker side…last night proved it, and you _like _that, don't you?"

And here she kissed him, only teasing at the corners of his lips before she continued, "You knew there was something holding you back. Your friends can't do anything now." Another kiss. And another.

"You're mine. Even moreso than when that hybrid had belonged in marriage to my brother's host," she giggled, "Because I've got your soul, atleast for the time being."

"My soul? That's cute; if that's your way of saying you think I'm in love with you." He smirked, two seconds later pinning her between the wall and his body, her arms held above her head with one of his own as he trailed kisses down one side of her neck, the other automatically going for the button on his jeans, wishing he hadn't worn the skinny ones he liked so much, they were a hassle pulling on and off.

"Mhfm." She whined in either agreement or protest, he couldn't tell which.

She smiled at the turn of events – the dream had worked, now, to just – she giggled at the groan she'd earned as she'd shifted abruptly against him, managing to free her hands from his grip, one reaching to bury itself in his hair, the other trailing down his chest, gentle fingers gliding down to the waistline of his boxers, now that he'd managed to futz with his jeans enough so that they weren't in the way, completely intent on ending this encounter the way things had ended in the dream.

She actually grinned as it seemed she'd broken a barrier with that move, and moving her hand lower he'd bit his lip and tipped his head back and _fucking hell _it was making her ache, just watching his reaction.

"I do…you wouldn't do all this otherwise, not _just _for _me_." She purred, lips ghosting over his face, feather-light.

"S-so…you re- _ah_ really th- _oh _think I lov- _mhm _love you?" he asked, voice catching as she curved her wrist, causing him to gasp, she could feel him press his hips into her.

She only looked up into his eyes and blinked, bringing their lips together to silence him.

And David couldn't have been happier that she hadn't answered.

When she pulled back, she looked into his eyes, hand having fallen into a steady rhythm. She'd never seen a vampire's eyes so – well, even he was only half immortal, but still – they were completely clouded, and they weren't brown anymore, it seemed like his eyes had turned black with lust.

Feeling him grab her wrist, she knew he either thought she was just teasing him and wanted to move things along, or he was trying to help her do it the right way.

"I re-really should've taken th-this to the _mhfp_ basement…tables…_ah._ Laying d-down. I just – _fuck. _Didn't anticipate any of-"

"This? Come on, you know you want more than this…" and then, adding to her point, she flicked her wrist, causing him to groan as he pressed himself into her, wishing he hadn't wanted to get his jeans off so quick, moving out of how they were was going to be _fun._

"You're going to –_hng_- let me go, I'm gonna _mhm_- stumble back into my j-jeans and we're _ah _going to the b-basement where I'm gonna-"

She giggled, kissing him again, concentrating hard enough to open up a portal with her mind from where they were, knowing it was easier if she just went along with it. This was going exactly how she wanted.

Opening her eyes, she saw that it'd worked, the two were in the basement of the funeral home on one of the prepping tables, it being covered with a sheet that hadn't moved in atleast a few years, making the metal not so cold.

Breaking the kiss, she realized he was straddling her and had let go of her hand, and had moved to more or less try to pull down his boxers and kick off his jeans and vans all at the same time. Least she could do was pull his shirt off for him, messing up his hair.

"You're gonna what, hun?" she teased, reaching to pull her own shirt off, knowing by now he wasn't going to protest after what she'd started, immediately after reaching a hand back into his hair to guide his lips along her skin, startled by how surprising cool they were despite the fire burning in his eyes.

He didn't bother to respond, mind completely blank except for the fact registering a completely irresistible brunette was pinned beneath him, shirt off with mouth half open in a 'don't-leave-me-like-this' pant, hair falling over her in a way that he was certain would be better if he had his hands wrapped tight into it, lips against her neck with her cries in his ears- a sharp tug on his hair made him look up, and she was glaring.

_That_ only sent his hands scrambling for the belt she wore, he couldn't undress her fast enough.

Rolling her eyes, she pushed his hands out of the way and tugged her pants off, tossing them across the room, unable to suppress the slight moan as his hands ran down her legs, nails not digging in enough to draw blood but enough to let her know he wasn't exactly going to be gentle.

And then, only adding to his frustration, she slipped her underwear off, completely aware every second she delayed giving him what he wanted put him further under her control, thanks to the dream.

"Daavvviidddd," she singsonged, smiling as he leaned into her, their noses touching, his body curved against hers like a cat preparing to pounce on its prey when her voice turned slightly sterner, "You didn't answer me."

He actually growled as she racked a hand down his back, only opening his mouth to give her a warning nip on the nose.

_Awh, I made him so frustrated. Hm. This will be fun._

Lifting her head slightly to nibble at his ear; she spoke, voice a breathless seductive murmur that only set him off more.

"Well, if you're not going to answer me, I'll just have to ask."

At that moment she became aware of the insanely tight grip on her hips that he had, and on top of that noticed she wasn't really in a position to be giving orders in, even if she did have control of him.

She shrugged, gasping as he buried his head into the crook of her neck along with his fangs, already intent on leaving bloodstains on the flawless skin.

And before her mind completely gave in to the so-called typical intimate-human-interaction, she managed to choke out three words somewhere between a command and a plea.

"Fuck. Me. Senseless?"

By the time Illshya managed to open her eyes, she realized that everything had worked to the T. Somehow, she was curled against the airbender, head on his chest, legs interwined, one of his arms resting on her stomach, both of them still lying on the metal sheet-covered table.

Slipping out of his arms, she stood up and looked around, not surprised at the amount of bite marks covering her skin and the lingering soreness in her legs and thighs. Something about that made her thinking walking was going to be a challenge, but she smirked at the thought, knowing he'd pick up why her movements would be altered.

This hadn't been the first time she'd done any of that, but as far as her host body was concerned, it seemed like it hadn't happened often enough.

As she started pulling on her clothes, she smiled, waving a hand over David's still-sleeping form. He woke up at once, bolting upright like he'd woken from another nightmare.

Seeing her dressing, he gave her a look before getting up and collecting his own clothes. As he hap-hazardly tugged on his jeans and almost face planted when one leg got stuck, she couldn't help giggling.

"Are you always this clumsy after sex?" she teased, unable to keep the flirty tone out of her voice.

He looked up instantly, a goofy lopsided grin plastered to his face, having just picked up his shirt.

"No, I'm just distracted by you, that's all."

"Well, there's no time for that now…I did have errands in mind, I'll have to be careful to not repeat myself in saying we have _things_ to do, you'll clearly take that the wrong way. Not that I mind, your…nighttime human agendas seem to be somewhat entertaining after all." She admitted, mentally cursing at the mere thought of realizing she was developing _feelings_ for the half-vampire.

"What kinda errands? Coffeeshop date? Movie? Long walk through the moonlit woods?" he wondered, pulling on one of his shoes.

She scoffed, shaking her head.

"Easy, pet. I'm not that low level of a demon, you're talking like I'm a human in a bar with no place to sleep for the night." She admonished at his grin, he obviously was hoping for another round sooner or later.

He sighed.

"Oh…I mean, I'll go follow you wherever, just don't make me go dancing again with Addie…I mean, I like the way she felt and all pressed up against me, but your blood tastes better and I-"

Illshya turned, placing a finger against his lips, he paused and froze.

"I know. But come on, I mean it. I have an appointment today with someone; we don't want to be late."

Before she could move away from him, David had grabbed the hand that she had held up, finger still pressed to his lips and pulled her into him for a final good morning kiss, afterwards pulling on his other shoe and walking upstairs, leaving a slightly stunned Illshya to watch after his retreating form.

Three days. He'd gone from not wanting to kidnap the hybrid to doing it and drugging her, to betraying his friends and kissing her to shut up to straight out having sex with her and willingly go along with whatever she had planned. She'd miss him when this was all over, or atleast some voice in the back of her head wanted her to believe that fact.

And then, she realized – her earlier statements about emotions when she and David had first gotten to the funeral home? She'd been wrong.


	36. Chapter 36

"No more creepypastas, are you KIDDING. ME? I already went through this once!" David complained as the two stood outside a small storage compartment for a factory, a short way off from Robinson woods, where everything creepypasta had happened the guys the first time.

"We have an appointment, we're not about to be late because you're whining about meeting him, you should know who we're going to see, you seem like you play the game enough."

"SLENDER?! NOT AGAIN!"

She turned to glare at him, motioning for him to be quiet.

"Now, you don't want to offend him, you're still childish enough that he might keep you in a trade if he finds it necessary."

"TRADE?"

"Well yes, we're going to get one of the children he'd stolen quite a few years ago – I'm sure you'll remember her – it was the curly haired blonde with hazel eyes that Beckett's men had sired…as part of Adeline's plan if my host's memory serves me right."

"But I thought she just disappeared-"

"You silly like creature, did you really think a simple wish was going to make these creepypastas go away? It's child play, a falsifying belief. And if there's one thing they hate, it's being called creepypastas in the first place. I'd advise you to not use the term around him."

David stopped walking, looking around, half expecting fog to roll in for no reason.

"What happened to you being all attac-"

This time her hand reached out to grab the collar of his shirt, her eyes were blazing.

"There's a time and place, pet. And I will _not _allow your presence to sidetrack me in my quest for revenge. If you could call it that, I simple want to demolish the hybrid's sanity."

"I thought you were-"

Her hand moved from his shirt to against his lips as a little bell was heard ringing from the door the pair stood infront of.

"Not. Another. Word." Illshya threatened as the door opened, and she bowed slightly to a figure with no face, clad in a black suit with a white tie.

The figure appeared to nod before inviting them in, and as David and Illshya walked into the small warehouse he had the strangest feeling that he'd been there before, the winding passageway-like hallways all seemed so familiar.

But that was only because he'd played the game so many times.

"I appreciate you taking the time to visit with us, Slenderman. The child…if you're willing to part with her, that is, is she-"

The faceless being again nodded, reaching out a hand behind him as if motioning someone forward.

David's eyes widened at the sight of the girl that walked forward.

She couldn't have been older than eight or nine, and had ringlet curls just as blonde as Addie's hair had been before she dyed it. Her eyes were hazel, like the vampire she had loved – if anyone had seen them together they would have assumed by default the couple had raised her into a perfect angel.

"H-hello Lady Illsyha…Slendy t-told me you w-were coming f-for m-me." She stuttered, staring at the floor, nervously rocking on her feet.

"Dear, you needn't stutter…you know who you'll see again, won't you?"

The little girl's face brightened instantly.

"He said you were gonna take me back to my mom…after all these years…"

Illshya smiled, motioning to David to step forward and take the child's hand.

"Now Evie, you remember David, don't you?" she asked the little girl, who, to his surprise nodded in agreement.

"You're the one that started yelling when that man killed my sister…Slendy let me watch before we left. CAN WE GO BACK TO THE CORNMAZE?"

Illshya smiled, looking back at the Slenderman.

"If you'll allow me to keep the child, I will have a debt to pay into return, I assure you. We'll meet again, it can be determined then."

Slenderman held up a hand, and then, a voice was heard, although he had no mouth.

"My Lady, this is a free one. It's you're doing this to torment her parents, I wish you all the success in your endeavor, it's not often the child is immortal and can be taken advantage of multiple times such as this."

She nodded.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Slenderman. I will see you soon. David, Evie, come along you two – it's time we got you both home."

Turning to leave out of the door Slenderman had lead them into, Ilshya grabbed David's free hand, being the other one was holding onto the little girl as she tried to run ahead.

"When I say run, run. Otherwise we're stuck in this forest. On 3. 1. 2.-"

A blinding flash of light startled both David and the little girl, who cried out. When it dimmed and they could see where they were, the noticed they were infront of Pierre's, and once again, it was nighttime.

How quickly the time went, David wasn't really sure, it just seemed like time stopped around the demon, or atleast his perception of time passing while he was in her presence. Every second felt like forever with her.

Or could the demon jump through time zones and spans of hours as well as locations?

Ushering the girl up to the door, the demon whispered instructions to her to use over the next few days, which she nodded to. As the demon walked back to David and laced their fingers together, she turned to look at him and smiled.

"Watching the hybrid unravel truly will be something special…and for being so good when we met with Slenderman today, you deserve a reward."

He tried to hide the smirk on his face as he felt her lean up to kiss his cheek, her other arm reaching up to cling to his shoulder.

_She's just as bad with me as Addie is with Seb…what have I gotten myself into?_

"Does that mean we can go back to the f-"

"I knew you were going to ask that…and if you're going to suggest that, we might as well go get some dinner first."

"But-"

"I said it was a reward, I didn't say going to visit Slenderman was the trick, sweetheart."

David rolled his eyes, but didn't argue.

Thinking sleep would come easy after the sheer workout with Seb that had been half 'screw-me-like-the-wolf-you-really-are' and the other half being the typical romantic 'just-let-me-hold-you' makeout session the night had turned into, Addie finally managed to close her eyes and let her body relax, though her mind was still buzzing, partially because though her mouth had finally shut up, her telepathic link wouldn't shut off, didn't help that he kept replying as they lay there, one of his hands running through her hair.

And even though she tried to keep herself from being just completely flirty and suggestive, she couldn't help it.

"_I don't think I wanna sleep now…I'm half vampire, I don't need it. You seem fine on adrenalin, you know how highs work."_

"_That's cute, you think you don't need sleep. I've seen lycans four times your age kill at the drop of a hat due to lack of sleep, that is, when they haven't been aggravated in the first place."_

"_You say 'that's cute' like it's supposed to be insulting. I know I'm cute, it's ineffective." _She giggled, turning her head to rest her chin on his chest, looking up at him, crossing her eyes when he kissed her forehead.

"_Ineffective? Cute? Those two words don't even belong in the same sentence."_

"_Meaning?"_

"'_Cute' is a disarming word when applied to you, it's an understatement. And your tactics aren't ineffective – fact that my stamina's finally shot for the night proves it, though how you're still flirty I can't understand."_

"_Bad habit? Comes with the territory?" _she offered, turning over on her side, feeling him pull blankets tighter around them, one of his arms slipping around her waist, the sudden caress making her flinch, his fingertips must've brushed marks he'd left in the midst of it all, she was sure the shower in the morning was going to be…difficult.

She sighed as he nuzzled her cheek, but couldn't suppress the soft yelp as he nipped her ear lightly, managing to somehow make her want to rewind and replay the past few hours with the soft husky growl his telepathic reply had turned into.

"_If it comes with the territory, it's mine."_

And closing her eyes this time, she slipped asleep in his arms, completely content and expecting peaceful dreams.

But naturally, they're anything but.

It was cold, snowing. As always. The sky held not a single star, and yet, she seemed perfectly content. Not another soul around to disturb her walk, aimlessly wandering the old coffee shops, the old rollerskating grounds, the –

And then she heard her, laughing. It'd been years, but Addie could still remember the tone of Amelia's laugh, just how it would make her smile.

Somehow, Addie can hear music playing, and it's not even surprising that it's the song that she listened to for hours on end after William's death, something she'd cherished in highschool but had never really had meaning until now, the song being All Time Low's Therapy.

_My ship went down In a sea of sound. When I woke up alone I had everything:  
A handful of moments I wished I could change And a tongue like a nightmare that cut like a blade.  
In a city of fools, I was careful and cool, But they tore me apart like a hurricane...  
A handful of moments I wished I could change But I was carried away._

Walking around the sudden corner of the smaller church where the two used to rollerblade around as kids, Addie let out a sheer wail of shock at seeing Amelia being playfully trapped against the wall by a taller person, she couldn't tell who it was, although the nickname that slipped from the brunette's lips gave her a clue.

"Mhm – Bill d-don't, this is a church for fuck's sak-"

The taller laughed, Amelia shrieked as he kissed her, oblivious to her protests. Addie only felt her heart break all over again – they were both dead now, one had been her best friend, and she'd been married to the other.

"I fucking hate my mind sometimes," Addie grumbled as the scene changed, and suddenly it was like she was nineteen all over again at her aunt's house, watching over her cousins for the summer.

The house the was the third one the family had lived in, and after her uncle had left, Addie had stayed at the house as a live-in nanny for her cousin while her aunt worked two jobs to keep the house and the family afloat.

Again, she noticed the music was still playing.

_Give me therapy. I'm a walking travesty But I'm smiling at everything.  
Therapy...You were never a friend to me And you can keep all your misery.  
_

At the sound of a child's cry, she walks up the stairs to the second floor, side stepping the sleeping golden retriever outside the child's room, who was keeping watch protectively.

Walking into the room, it's like a slap in the face – the walls and decorations are exactly like her and William's old bedroom, it fact, it's the _exact same, _the only thing that's different is the crib in the corner of the room.

This wasn't a jog down memory lane, this dream had quickly turned into a nightmare.

Though she was afraid to walk any closer, the sound of a baby crying made all caring instinct kick in and she walked over to the crib and picked the girl up, trying so hard not to pay attention to the familiar features.

The girl had think wavy blonde hair like her own, though it was more like William's texture than her own. The girl's eyes, she realized, were exactly his, a deep chocolate brown that were always attentive, though at the moment tears were pouring out of them.

"Ssshhhh….sweetie it's okay, I'm here…sshhhh…." Addie soothed, turning to pace the room while holding the girl, hoping it would calm her.

Knowing that alone might not work, she began to hum something William had often sang her to sleep with – After The Last Midtown Show.

After a few moments, the girl calmed slightly, looking up at her with wide eyes, pacifying herself by sticking a finger or two in her mouth.

Addie couldn't help the pang of pure longing that ran through her, knowing this wasn't real and this had all been a fabrication from the creepypastas- Which only made her think of him, how terribly blind she'd been to her true feelings – how exactly had their love changed?

"This wasn't your reality. It never would have been, Adeline. We both know that."

A soft voice from the doorway startles her, and she turns to collapse on the bed, careful to cradle the now calmed baby in her arms, trying to figure out why this nightmare was a living ghost inside her head.

"I always wanted what I couldn't have, William. Or don't you know how the female mind works?"

She's surprised by the bitterness in her voice, the biting resentment.

He laughs, walking into the room, and she's shocked by how he appears – this isn't the William from when the relationship faltered, this is when they met, back when he ran the city.

"I know well enough, darling. Surprises me how you came to her aid right away, I'd've expected the very reminder to because you pain. She isn't for anything real, even in the waking world. You remember watching her being murdered right infront of you, don't you?" he teased darkly, and for a moment, she almost wanted to cry at the thought.

"Can you not? Why are you even here, taunting me? Even in death you can't leave me be…granted, I wish I could have changed things, but-"

He took a step closer, sat next to her on the bed, held open his arms for the girl.

Reluctantly she passed the baby to him, which only made her heart hurt more, watching him smile, fangs gleaming in the lowlight of the room as he looked almost adoringly down at the small creature in his arms.

"And what would you have changed, love? Amelia's death? My death? Our marriage? My turning you? Our very meeting?" he pressed, turning to look at her.

She shook her head.

"Mostly just how blind I was to my own feelings. I loved you for the longest time, William. And, well…even in death, I still do. I love you, I can never regret saying that." She admitted.

Again, he laughed, and it was tinged with malice.

"Oh, how I wish that were true. Of course you wouldn't regret saying something, especially if it's not true in the first place."

Addie felt a knot form in her stomach, knowing where the conversation was heading.

"William – I don't – I wasn't – I didn't mean-" she sputtered, trying to figure out how to apologize, even though she knew damn well what he meant.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you love me. You can't do it, can you?"

She didn't look up, too afraid he was absolutely right.

"Adeline. Look. At. Me."

Feeling his hand under her chin, she had no choice but to meet his gaze.

"I love you." She choked out, knowing the words were as fake on her tongue as the English accent her voice would slip into.

He actually smiled, looking down at the baby in his arms, then back at her.

"And that, mon cherie, is a lie."

And in one movement, a wave of the hand, the girl disappears, causing Addie to cry out before she finds William's lips against her own, and it's a sudden shock.

She's gotten so used to Sebastien's instead at this point that it's pointless to even say she missed the feeling of William _anything_ – because even this is a lie.

"And you know," William starts, pulling back and standing, beginning to walk towards the door, "There was something you'd said the week we met – about why I'd turned Peter, how you didn't understand. You'd say he wasn't a vampire, that Edward Cullen was better than him, and that was something, because the latter was no vampire at all. And dear, the way I see things?"

He paused, she braced herself for although mental blow.

"Now that you're a hybrid, considering whose fault it is – in my eyes, you're no vampire at _all_."


	37. Chapter 37

"NO! THAT'S NOT- NYAH!"

Addie screamed and sat up, never minding how she practically had just flailed her way out of Seb's arms.

He woke up instantly, startled himself by her scream. At once his arms wrapped back around her and he pulled her against him, trying to get her to calm down, being she had broken into tears.

"Hey, hey, what's the scream for, hm? I didn't know your nightmares could be this bad…it's alright, I'm here…relax," he murmured, lips against the hollow behind her ear.

She couldn't stay still; he could feel her trembling against him, and she flipped over, one hand against his chest, the other reaching up into his hair as she leaned up and kissed him as hard as she could, just to remind herself it was really him this time, and that the ghost of William in her dream had been nothing more than that – a ghost.

"N-No…it's n-not okay…that wasn't a n-nightmare it was a-a fucking mental e-experiment!" she protested, managing to stop crying long enough to catch her breath and talk.

"It's okay now, you're awake, whatever it was, it wasn't real. Look at me – it wasn't real." He reassured, and at once she lifted her head, happy beyond belief to be looking into still-striking-as-ever blue eyes instead of molten chocolate brown.

"I-I know…I just...I…" she couldn't even think of how to explain it, she didn't _want _to explain, it would have been fine if it had just been Amelia, or even just William, but the fact that Ivy had somehow got thrown in? She couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen in the near future.

She sighed, sitting up, surprised when Sebastien didn't try to pull her down to bed.

"I'm gonna go get some water. And I kinda just wanna walk, make sure everything's okay, I can feel a panic attack coming on and if I walk around and just breathe it might go away." She explained, running a hand through her hair, laughing softly.

Of all the times to get a panic attack, she has one tonight.

"Alright…just come back, okay? Don't go wandering outside or anything."

She giggled, "When did I even say that? I know I used to when I was little, sneaking out at two in the morning for a jog around the block was fun, no one was up but me and the dark is so peaceful, but I'm not stupid enough to do that now. I mean, by myself anyways."

She got up and stretched, wincing at the sound of her back cracking all the way up. Pulling on whatever clothes were nearest her, she tried to remember the counting pattern she'd learned for breathing when her panic attacks got really bad.

Walking out into the hall, Pierre's house was dead quiet for the most part, asides from snoring. Ever light was part much off, except for the small overhead sink light in the kitchen, left on in case someone got up for water like she currently was.

Once she got into the kitchen and got a glass of water and drank it down, she felt a little better, although something still was bugging her. _Oh. _In the soft light that the single bulb was throwing out, she could tell exactly how much damage had been done before they finally crashed – and for what it was worth she was sure Seb was marked up worse than she was.

"I've really got to learn to get myself under control…you'd think being half and half would have fixed how fucking needy I can get…" she mused, glancing around.

For some reason, her gaze was drawn to the front door, as if something wanted her to go and open it. She didn't know why, she just had a feeling that whatever it was wasn't going to be a good thing – thinking of her nightmare only made this feeling worse, what if, by some horrid twist of fate, Ivy was on the other side of the door, and then maybe with David for good measure?

She laughed it off, but still walked towards the door, not realizing she was holding her breath.

"One. Two-"

Opening the door on three, she almost had a heart attack. It wasn't Ivy on the other side of the door – it was the other girl, Evangeline, or Evie as they'd nicknamed her. She still had the curls that Adeline had had, and her eyes were just like William's. She hadn't changed at all, she still appeared as an eight year old, in torn stonewash jeans and an old TAI tour shirt.

Not expecting the girl to grin and walk forward to wrap her arms around her in a hug, Addie's face completely betrayed the hopefully-calm expression she hoped to maintain as the little girl spoke.

"Hello mommy! I missed you! Aren't you glad to see me?"

As soon as the little girl let go of her, Addie turned around and started counting in her head, she could feel the anxiety setting in, this time for real, and the breathing wasn't helping any.

"I know dad's gone, but…I'm so happy I found you!" she continued, walking into the house, watching with wide eyes as Addie scramble further away, anything to convince herself that this was another nightmare.

"You're not real…you're not real…you're not real. Slenderman took you!"

Evie cocked her head, smiling, reaching up to pat Addie's shoulder as if to prove her otherwise, "So he did, but he let me come home! Isn't this great!"

Addie only looked the girl dead in the eyes, realizing this wasn't a nightmare, this was real life. She couldn't do anything but scream as the girl began to giggle, taking her head and trying to lead her into the house, or atleast back to an empty room where they could sleep.

When Addie didn't move and continued screaming, the girl only sighed.

"You're gonna wake people up."

And before Evie could shrug at how oddly her 'mother' was acting, the hybrid had fainted clear to the floor.

* * *

That night as Bob prepared to go to sleep, he offered up a silent prayer to Orion and hoped the demon would come to him in a dream again. As he fell asleep, he could feel another presence in his dream. When he looked around, he saw the demon, meditating under a waterfall. He approached cautiously.

"Welcome, wizard. Have you considered my proposition?" Orion asked, standing up

"Yes, I have. I am willing to become your host temporarily if it means getting rid of your sister," Bob said, bowing to the demon.

"Excellent."

"I do have a question, though. In order for you to possess me, will I need to die?"

Orion shook his head. "No, that will not be necessary. If you are in a deep enough sleep, I should be able to enter your body. The only reason dead bodies are easier to possess is because the subconscious of the person does not fight back, but if you are in a deep enough sleep, that should not be a problem, either. Unfortunately, it appears that we will have to expedite the process. My sister is growing more bold in her actions and we can no longer afford to wait a fortnight. This process will need to happen tomorrow at the latest."

"What do you mean, she's growing more bold?" Bob said, not sure he wanted to hear the answer

"Let's just say that you're going to be awakened soon by a scream from the hybrid, because it seems that my sister has left something on your doorstep that should have never existed in the first place," Orion said as he and Bob again began to walk down a path.

"Furthermore," Orion continued, "she has also begun to defile the Airbender in the most carnal way possible."

"Meaning what?" Bob asked, struggling to see the meaning.

"It means that she is corrupting him. That is why his soul is dying, because it is being polluted by my sister's influence. We need to destroy her if you wish to save your friend."

Before Bob could say anything else, he was drawn out of his dream by a scream, followed by the sound of something hitting the ground.

He bolted upright and looked at Mikey, who was looking at him with the same look of confusion and grogginess. Looking at the bedside clock, it was almost 4 in the morning. The two of them jumped out of bed and raced into the living room, where they found Seb cradling a now unconscious Addie. The worst part though, was standing next to the two of them was the little girl that Brendon had sired all those years ago. Bob felt his heart drop to his feet. How were they going to fix this?


	38. Chapter 38

"What the hell is going on?" Bob asked, actually surprised when the little girl turned to look at him, _grinning _as she motioned to Addie.

"Mommy fainted."

Seb growled at the mere mention of the girl saying the m-word, it sounded so unnatural and it scared him a bit, to be honest.

"I mean, how did you-" Bob continued, unfazed by the eerie calmness of the eight year old as she bent to sit next to Seb, watching Addie curiously.

"AH WHAT THE- WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING HERE?!"

_Damn it, Pierre's awake._

"Kill it. Somebody. Kill it with fire!"

"Guess we're lucky Frank's not here, hey?" Mikey added.

"Did you _really _just-" Chuck started.

"Can we all shut up for three seconds?! We don't know why she's here, Addie is quite obviously in shock – and I'm pretty sure we just opened a door to the twilight zone." Seb explained, trying to get everyone to shut up.

"First thing first, we've got to wake her up…" Jeff suggested, before Pierre cut in, pointing at Evie, trying

to pretend she was David who had just done something stupid, "You. Stay there, don't move."

She nodded, "She'll be okay, right?"

Everyone was surprised at the level of concern in the girl's voice, it seemed like she genuinely had feelings for Addie.

This realization took Seb off guard, remembering how the girl had come to know her in the first place, thanks to some of William's men and their abilities.

"She'll be okay sweetheart, you just scared her a bit," he explained, adjusting Addie in his arms as he went to stand, laying her on the couch.

He sat next to her and brushed the bangs from her forehead before he leaned in to kiss her there, at least, until the little girl interrupted and quite literally just climbed up ontop of her, stretching out on the hybrid, laying her head on the older girl's chest, sighing what appeared to be an apology.

"I'm sorry Mommy…I didn't mean to scare you…I'll be good from now on, I promise."

Seb looked at the others; the guys all had various looks of disbelief on their faces.

As if the apology has registered in Addie's consciousness, she coughs and one arm lifts to rub the girl's back, who again sighs and snuggles closer, giving Seb the impression that Addie was completely used to this idea, perhaps from dreams or writing.

Two seconds later her eyes open, and she looks around, though the first thing she does is manage to flash a tired 'i-know-i-seem-crazy' smile towards the group.

It's quiet for a few moments, no one speaks, everyone's still tired.

"Well…I know this whole thing is just out of nowhere, but I'm too tired to try and explain any part of what I just saw," Chuck started.

"Can we go back to bed?" Jeff asks, everyone nodding in agreement.

"We'll figure this out tomorrow." Bob can't help trying to shrug it off, it's too early to put much thought into anything that just happened, and it occurs to him Orion was aware it was going to happen before it did.

"I'm comfortable right where I am," Addie almost complained when Seb moved to get up, intending to pick up both her and the child and carry them both back to the bed he'd jumped out of the moment he heard Addie scream.

"You guys can," Pierre laughed, looking at Seb, knowing exactly what the confused lycan was thinking, "I'm getting a drink first."

And after that, everyone went back to their rooms, but Addie and the girl lay on the couch, and Seb had thought it better that he stay in the same room and sort of keep watch, just in case she had another nightmare.

After about twenty minutes of watching them both sleeping however, he reasoned that the bed probably would be comfier, and first picked up the blonde, who didn't stir as he lifted her sleeping form over his shoulder and walked down the hall, humming Au Secours as he went.

When he came back into the living room to get Addie, she was wide awake and looking around, as if startled that the child was gone.

"Wh-where's-" he smiled, put a finger against her lips, "In our room, you two couldn't possibly be comfortable like that. She's out like a light…"

"Tell me this is all just a giant nightmare and I'm going to wake up soon. Please. I don't think my sanity can take much more of this…"

He couldn't help but give a tired laugh at the sanity statement, because he completely agreed with it.

"I'm surprised you didn't phase on the spot this time, means your control's getting better. I'll be honest,

hearing her constantly referring to you as mommy is creeping me out. You look like you're nineteen still."

At that, she giggled, rolling her eyes.

"Perk of being immortal. Kinda sucks, I'd been hoping to make twenty one at least before he turned me, that way I don't get carded every damn time I walk into a bar. But if I do my makeup dark enough and put my hair up, there's nothing to it. And as for that, you'll just have to get used to it – you're lucky she still

thinks William's her dad."

"She's eight. She's gonna figure something's up if she catches us kissing even once, you know that."

"Awh look at you, seems like it's bugging you a bit that we can't mess around as much…" she teased, sitting up and batting her eyelashes, two seconds later straddling him.

"Let's just sleep out here tonight…and you know, maybe I'll take you up on the offer to take that walk outside, it's not too bright yet, and we can be back before the others get up again."

He shook his head, like he was debating it, but then leaned in and kissed her, afterwards grinning.

"Come on."

The two of them ended up walking like he'd suggested – well, more accurately, ended up at the nearest Tim Horton's for coffee the minute it opened at four thirty AM.

"I miss this. A lot." Addie realized, unable to stop smiling at the large chai latte she held, balancing a half plate of cookies on top of it as she walked to a table, Sebastien pulling out the chair for her.

Another grin.

"Merci," a yawn, then a giggle before she added, "You want one? I probably shouldn't have this much sugar in the morning – mixing it with caffeine's only going to make it worse."

He nodded, the cinnamon dusted sugar cookies did look really good.

"I'm still trying to figure out why she showed up last night…do you have any idea? I mean, we both know

she all but disappeared…what – ten years ago?" he asked, breaking the cookie in half, handing the bigger part to her.

"Atleast. Truth be told, I don't think I want to know, I just know the demon has something to do with it. Probably is still trying to degrade my sanity – damn these are really good – the chai is too, people are right, this _is _better than Starbucks!"

"Told you."

She rolled her eyes.

"I mean, it's kinda nice – having her show up after the dream I had. I mean, it's gonna sound stupid to you, but being I was turned so young, I'll never really get the chance to have children of my own. Well, unless I turn them myself, but that's besides the point. I guess that's why the whole thing on the couch didn't bother me – I've come to terms with the reality that I'll never have another chance like that." She explained, lifting the coffee cup to her lips, making a slight face as she burned her tongue.

"Sure had everybody else freaked out, well, not freaked out, but you get it."

She fell quiet after that, looking out the window, watching as the world slowly came to life around them, being it was maybe five am now.

"The others'll be up soon…"

"I know. We should probably get go-"

"How long until you guys kick me out, you think?" she asked suddenly, turning to look at him, dead

serious.

"Addie – I don't- how'd you- we're not-"

"I just feel like I've caused a ton of trouble with you guys – the trial was bad enough, but now with this whole thing I'm convinced Pierre's finally gonna snap. How does he put up with you guys practically living

with him even when you're not on tour?"

"We've all known each other since high school and you get used to it? They're like my brothers by now."

She nodded.

"Sorry, I just. I'm worried about everything for no reason again; it's part of the anxiety. It's never been this bad." Automatically her gaze drifts to her wrists, where the lyrics that have helped her through so much now lay.

As he went to say something, his cell phone buzzed.

"That can't be good. If anyone's calling you this early, it's one of-" she started as he picked it up, not surprised that she'd been right.

"_Where the hell are you two!? Would it have killed you to have left a note saying you were leaving?"_

Seb shot Addie a look as she laughed, mouthing a '_it's Chuck – we're in trouble now' _as he listened to the waterbender going on about how no-one had gotten any sleep at all in fact, because apparently the girl had woken up shortly after the two of them had left and hadn't been quiet – she'd spent the past twenty minutes badgering everyone as to where mommy was, and before that had been inconsolable due to a nightmare.

Well, Chuck explained that eventually she had calmed down – it took Pierre sitting on her bed and singing to her to do the trick though.

"I didn't think she'd wake up – she was dead weight when I carried her from the living room! And I mean, we just went for coffee-"

"_You KNOW how Addie gets with caffeine! And ontop of all this, Bob's royally pissed off – the girl won't stop messing with his stuff, she's almost cursed herself twice now reading of spellbooks and such…just get back here soon, before he comes to find you."_

"_And I will if I have to," _Seb heard Bob call from the background before he began yelling at somebody.

"Alright, alright, we'll come back. As long as we're here, you guys want anything?"

"_Are you really-" _Chuck sighed, "_Yeah, why not."_

"We'll be back right after, promise. See ya."

He hung up, almost wanting to laugh at the expression Addie had plastered to her face.

"He's really like the mother of the band, isn't he? When you picked up I swear to god thought your phone was going to turn into howler for a minute…"

Seb shrugged, not that he was disagreeing.

"They want us home – on the condition we bring coffee," he started, "Bob's pissed – nobody got any sleep after we left…we're probably going to catch hell when we get back, so be ready."

She ran a hand through her hair and winked, automatically taking that in a way he hadn't meant.

"Oh, amoureux, I'm _always _ready."


	39. Chapter 39

The minute Seb and Addie walked into Pierre's, the little girl ran up and threw herself into Addie's arms, half laughing, half crying as she yelled at her, "MOMMY! DON'T DO THAT AGAIN!"

Addie can't help but smile, somehow wondering how she didn't manage to spill the tray of coffee cups she was holding over her head.

"Hey, you don't want her to spill those drinks, do you Evie?" Seb asked, glancing at Addie who mouthed a 'thank you' as the girl let go of her and turned to look at him, shaking her head as a no to the coffee question.

"Can you pick me up again?"

She's almost begging, jumping once or twice for effect, adding a, "Please please please? Daddy would never carry me to bed like you did last night…."

His eyes widen, realizing she was talking about William, then at the fact she'd been aware he'd picked her up as she slept the night before.

He nodded, trying to figure out what wasn't going to set Addie off with fangirling at the sight infront of her.

Crouching so she could climb on his shoulders, he was surprised when the girl didn't automatically anchor her hands on his shoulders, instead, she waited for him to put his hands on her knees before putting hers on top.

"Kay!"

With the word, Sebastien stood up, causing the nine year old to giggle at the sudden height she'd gained, she could see over everyone in the room, and noticed immediately that Addie didn't have regular drinks – they were coffee.

"That's new..." Pierre comments from the corner, "She's not freaking out because he picked her up...Chuck you're terrible with kids." he added, remembering how she wouldn't stop crying as the drummer paced the hallway as she continued wailing from the bedroom, trying to figure out how to get her to calm down after her nightmare and discovering Addie had left with Seb, ending in the earthbender being shoved into the room and being told to sing.

"Thanks, yeah, like you're much better-"

"CAN I HAVE ONE?!" Evie called, letting go of one of Seb's hands to point at the tray, not surprised when everyone in the room told her no.

"See? The guys said you were trouble, you're fine with me..."

"That's cause I can tell you like Mommy!" she giggled, Addie immediately felt her cheeks flame.

"Well," she tried to keep her face straight, whatever she said could come back to haunt her at this point,

"he sure does. Listen, Evie, why don't you go- uh, Pierre are you gonna kill her if I say the xbox probably would keep her busy for awhile?"

"She breaks anything, you owe me. Can I have my coffee?"

Addie only rolled her eyes, handing one of the foam cups to the vampire, "Alright fine, I'll let you hold me to that, just –"

"I got it, love."

Seb's quick to jump in, already walking off towards the basement, completely aware everyone's probably doing a double take at the last word that had left his mouth.

And for once, he doesn't mind the thought of the conversation that'll cause.

Shortly after Seb had gone downstairs with Evie, Mikey spoke.

"So you guys got coffee, but you still ditched us at almost 4:30 in the morning. With an easily triggered alarm system."

"Oh come on, she's not that bad!"

"Says the one that screamed until she fainted when she saw her." Jeff added, receiving a shrug, "Yeah so? Easiest way to explain why she's here is that it's the demon's fault," Addie continued.

"And I don't think we want anything she's working with to be near us, what if she has the girl under her

control?" Mikey suggested.

Addie immediately tried to block out the next thought – if this was anything like the way it worked last time, she wouldn't be feeling this way for long.

"She's only complicating things. I say we just get rid of the problem before things get worse." Of course it's Bob that says this.

"Not again." Naturally, everyone knows where this conversation is heading, and Chuck's the first one to say something.

"You're lucky David's not here; he'd be having a fit."

"Well, he _is _kinda working with the demon, so I don't think that'd bother him," Jeff countered.

"Who wants to do it?" Pierre asks, probably a little too eagerly.

"No. No. We're NOT doing that again! She's only a child! One that should have never been turned, but still! We can't! If any of you value my sanity, you won't do it!" Addie protests, seconds later before the entire group can hear a more than familiar TV theme from the speaker system hooked up to the xbox.

Pierre tilts his head in confusion, "Wait a minute, that's my voi-"

"_What's new Scooby-Doo? We're coming after you_

_You're gonna solve that mystery I see you Scooby-Doo_

_The trail leads back to you What's new Scooby-Doo?_

What's new Scooby-Doo? We're gonna follow you

_You're gonna solve that mystery We see you Scooby-Doo_

_We're coming after you What's new Scooby-Doo?"_

"Oh good lord is that _really _on Netflix? If he found that I might go put on you guys and the Invisible Madman…" and this time Addie's giggling.

"What happened to you being all concerned with us trying to kill her?" Bob asks, and the 'k' word does it all over again.

"If you want to kill her so bad, we might as well make sure the demon enjoys this little plan of hers. And since you're all aware of the effect it'll have on me and don't seem to care, fine, you know what?"

Her voice is pure venom, and she's glaring directly at Bob, who only smirks, as if challenging her to continue.

"_I'll fucking do it myself."_

Everyone but Bob and Mikey seem to flinch at her words, they know she's not like that, remember the fit she got into the last time one of the girls was killed. Luckily, before anyone has a chance to make the tension worse, Sebastien comes back upstairs, still humming the theme from the TV show.

"She's completely distracted for the next half hour, atleast. Found an entire season on Netflix."

"She won't be alive in the next hour, anyways." Bob scoffs.

Seb looks from him to Mikey, then Chuck, Jeff, Pierre and Addie, who won't look back at him.

"What do you mean by-"

"We have to kill her, Seb. It's like last time. She's probably under the demon's control in the first place, she could be planning to kill us while we sleep." Somehow, Pierre's the one explaining it.

"She's nine. What could she possibly do? Sounded like the nightmare scared her enough, I don't think she'd be capable of murder…"

"We didn't think your girlfriend was either and look what she did to that kid in Panic at the Disco," Mikey added.

"HEY! I had a valid reason for that!"

"Just like you volunteering to do it this time? You know you want to…how long has it been since you've

killed something? You like the feeling, it's obvious you like being rough enough, I mean – look at yourself – all bit and scratched up…you're not hiding it, didn't even bother to put makeup over it. You might be a hybrid, but you're still more of a bitch than anything."

Everyone froze at the argument Bob had started, if he said the wrong thing-

Addie's breathe caught, way to totally piss her off.

"Go ahead and hold that against me, I'm much happier as a half lycan than full vampire anyday. And so what, I like it rough. I'm still a former Dandie, the thrill of the kill just comes naturally – so you'd better shut the fuck up before it comes back and I can't fight the instinct."

Bob actually smiled.

"Try me. I've had you on the ground two seconds from your death once before, I can do it again. And this time," he paused and looked at Sebastien, who had moved to stand next to Addie, his arms around her waist to keep her still incase things got out of control, "I'll make sure no one interferes."

"YOU WANNA GO?!"

"If you insist. Seb, let her go. And tell her you love her, if that's the case, because she's about ten seconds from never breathing again."

"Not if I rip out your throat first!"

And instead of letting her go, Seb only did the opposite and tightened his grip, turning his head at the sound of small feet coming up the stairs.

"Why's Mommy yelling? I can hear her from downstairs…."

Addie turns to look at the girl, and that's when everyone notices tears in her eyes.

"I'm okay sweetheart. Just come here," she calls, and the blonde runs toward her.

The next few minutes seem to move in slow motion, because the next thing Seb knows is that Addie's hands are around the girl's neck and she's squeezing tight, tears pouring out of her eyes. He doesn't think to react, before she cries out in frustration and lets go, collapsing against him, turning to press her face into his chest, sobbing – and for half a second he's under the impression she's trying to suffocate herself.

Everything's a blur as he sees Mikey, of all the people there, step forward and bring his hands to the girl's neck, a quick twist and suddenly her body goes limp, eagle-sprawling on the floor.

Nobody moves, except for Addie, who lets go of Seb and turns to quite literally sprint down the hallway into their bedroom, slamming the door as hard as she could.

Her ears and tail had come out again, and this time he didn't think sleep was going to make them go away.

After returning from the days activities, David realized that he was truly exhausted. He curled up on the mattress and fell asleep almost instantly. When he looked around, he found himself with shackles on his wrists and feet and he was sitting in a jail cell.

"Hey, what the hell is going on?! LET ME OUT!" he yelled, struggling against his restraints.

He heard the sound of a door being opened and closed. He could hear footsteps.

"Hey! Whoever is out there, let me out!"

He could hear the footsteps retreating farther from the cell.

"HEY! CAN'T YOU HEAR ME?! LET ME OUT! PLEASE, LET ME OUT!" he screamed, trying to get the stranger's attention

The person laughed and David stopped struggling. That voice sounded so familiar.

A figure approached the cell door and David was surprised, for staring back at him was himself, or at least, the evil side of him. This David looked darker, more vile.

"Let you out? Now why would I do that? Why don't _you_ let me in, David? Let me in!" the figure declared, reaching his hands through the bars of the cell.

David shook his head. "Please, just let me out."

"Not until you let me in! Let me in and truly give in to the darkness! Come on, you know you want to," the figure said, rattling the cell door.

"You're wrong! You don't know me. You don't - " David started before the figure interrupted

"Come on, David. We've already had this conversation. Whether you like to admit it or not, I _am_ you! I am the part of you that you keep locked away. I am darkness and the anger and the hatred and all of the negative emotions you feel. I am the resentment and self-loathing that you feel because of what you are!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. You absolutely hate yourself for being a vampire. Actually, you aren't even a full vampire. Couldn't even do that right, could you? You know what? You would have been better off dead instead of what you are. Half vampire and half human, but accepted by _neither!"_

At this statement, David bristled and began to struggle more viciously. 

"Aw, it seems I've made you angry. Poor thing," it said in a mocking voice. "You know, I must say," it continued, "that it's quite nice being out here for a change, seeing as you always keep me locked in there. And as much as I've enjoyed our conversation, I think it's time for me to be going. You've been asleep long enough. It should be morning by now. I can't wait to see what kind of trouble I can cause today. Maybe I'll go back to our friends and shake things up there. Have fun rotting in that cell!" the figure declared as it walked away.

As soon as the door had slammed shut behind him, David continued to thrash and scream, doing anything he could to try and free himself. Eventually, his voice gave out and his hands started to bleed. He put his head down and sighed. He had to get out of this prison before the evil side of him completely ruined everything!


End file.
